Old Dogs
by QManRedgunner
Summary: Post Chosen. Buffy and co. move to Cleveland. A vampire threat so old it's new arrives. Then things get interesting.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The Californian landscape was beautiful. Sunshine lit everything wonderfully and warmed everyone to the bone.

_Or bloody well boiled them_, Giles thought to himself.

Giles stood at the edge of a monstrous crater that marred the picturesque countryside. He wore jeans and a polo shirt. And still he roasted in the heat. There once was a time when he was acclimated to this God-awful swelter. But not anymore. Now, he stood in misery in the harsh sunlight.

Next to Giles stood Jeff Clough, a free-lance sub-contractor for the Watcher's Council. He was very resourceful and a bit unconventional. But he was good at what he did. Even if he was a bit odd.

Giles looked at his companion. The other man was dressed in heavy work boots, corduroy pants, a long-sleeved flannel shirt, a blue-jean jacket, and a knit stocking cap. Giles suspected that Jeff was wearing thermal long-john underwear, as well.

Looking back at the crater, Giles let his thoughts leave his compatriot and to the task at hand. He was not here to scrutinize the man nor to reminisce, even though he had roughly seven years worth of memories associated with this spot. Giles was here on official Watcher Council business.

"You were extremely lucky, Mr. Giles," Clough stated. He had a thick Australian accent.

"Quite true," Giles agreed. "We barely stayed ahead of the implosion." Giles peered into the crater intently. "I hope your man knows what he's doing."

"Don't worry," Clough replied. "Randy's clan is especially good at this kind of thing."

"I wouldn't think there was much call for this," Giles remarked.

"Well, not this exactly," Clough amended. "But this falls within the range of their expertise."

"Alright. I sure hope he's okay," Giles responded.

Clough pointed into the crater. "Ah, here comes Randy."

Giles directed his gaze to where Clough was pointing. He saw a small figure making its way toward them and getting larger by the second. Soon Giles could make out the bright red skin and clawed hands of the demon named Randy. He had antennae sticking out of his head. All in all he looked like a reject from a bad 1950s B-rated horror movie. But Randy was the best in his clan, who were the best at what they did. So Giles could overlook his appearance.

Clough helped Randy the last few meters out of the crater. The demon looked exhausted. He sat down heavily and pulled out a handkerchief and began mopping his forehead. Clough grabbed a couple bottles of water from a cooler. He handed one to Randy, who clipped off the cap with a claw and drank greedily.

"You okay, Randy?" Clough asked.

Randy drained the bottle, tossed it, and grabbed the other bottle from Clough. "I will be," he said. With a clip of his claw and a toss-back of his head, Randy drained this bottle, too.

"What did you find?" Giles asked.

Panting, Randy reached out his claw and it was filled with another bottle of water from Clough. After all, this was what Clough did, broker demon services for humans. And he had to take care of his contractors.

"Oh, it's closed, alright," Randy panted out. "The Hellmouth sucked everything into it when it shut. So the membrane between the two dimensions in a lot thicker, now. There's no more threat from this crater."

"None?" Giles inquired.

Randy clipped the top of the bottle. "The Hellmouth is gone. That's one less to worry about, now." He drank deeply from the bottle.

"But I thought…" Giles began. "That is… Demons liked…"

"The mystical energy?" Randy finished for him. "Well, yeah. But too many morons try to open a hellmouth and destroy the world."

"That's not cool," Clough stated.

"Definitely not," Randy agreed. He stood.

Randy's clan was sought after for these types of thorny problems. They could sense the ebb and flow of mystical energy. Then they could discern what those flows meant. And they were honest, valuing their reputation above everything else. So Giles knew that whatever Randy told him was accurate.

"So the Hellmouth is closed," Giles repeated. "Well, that takes a load off my mind."

Randy emptied three more bottles of water by the time Giles was done mulling over the news of the Hellmouth's permanent closure. Now the demon looked much healthier, much more hale.

"The First Evil is trapped in that hell dimension now, too," Randy added.

Giles gaped at him for a few long moments. Randy took the opportunity to guzzle another bottle of water.

"What?" Giles finally managed.

"Yeah," Randy confirmed. "Everything in Sunnydale was sucked in. The First Evil was in Sunnydale, too."

"Are you sure?" Giles asked.

"Absolutely," Randy affirmed. "I could feel it trying to get out."

"So we really did beat the First?" Giles was awestruck with wonder. Two great pieces of information in one day. It was almost too good to fathom.

"And you were VERY lucky to get out of there," Clough remarked.

"You have no idea," Randy agreed. "Take it from a member of a clan that knows, hell dimensions suck."

"I bet," Giles agreed.


	2. Part 1 Chapter 1

Part 1

Bane

Chapter I

As a city went Cleveland was okay, for the most part. That is if you did not take into account that it was situated on top of a hellmouth, a place where the layers between dimensions was extremely thin. The two dimensions were Earth and hell. Thus the name "hellmouth." It was a mystical convergence that drew all kinds of demons and hell-spawn to it. Other than that, it was nice as a city.

That is what Buffy Summers was thinking. She was wearing a white sweater with a black leather bomber jacket. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail.

Buffy was the Vampire Slayer. Well, not THE Vampire Slayer, any more. Not since Willow had super-activated the Slayer Legacy and turned all Potentials into actual Slayers. So, while the fate of the world no longer rested solely on her shoulders, she still felt it her duty to patrol nightly to stake vampires and kill demons. Which is why she was out here in the cold November night air of Cleveland instead of in bed at home, nice and warm.

The move to Cleveland was unavoidable. After spending seven long years on top of the Hellmouth that was Sunnydale, Buffy Summers did not know what else to do with her life. So she moved to the next hellmouth, although Giles did comfort her by informing her that it was not THE Hellmouth. Moving was her choice, one she regretted weekly.

As Buffy was her legal guardian, Dawn – her little sister – went where Buffy went. According to Buffy's memories, Dawn was a teenage girl. She had been with Buffy for years, growing up with her. Buffy had memories of babysitting Dawn, of chasing Dawn around the yard, and of Dawn reading Buffy's diary. There were many more memories. But all the memories before Dawn was fourteen were all fake ones.

Dawn was the Key, a mystical ball of energy that could open up portals between dimensions of reality. A hell god named Glory tried to use the Key, so a group of monks made it into Dawn and sent her to Buffy to keep the Key safe. That was when Buffy died to save the world, to stop Glory from killing Dawn and ending the world. She was revived after a few months. It was quite the experience.

Upon moving to Cleveland Buffy found a nice safe school for Dawn to attend; one that was not positioned right above the actual hellmouth. Catherine's Academy was a private school, but Dawn liked it. Dawn was now a junior, and Buffy wanted her last years of high school to be good ones.

Giles came along to Cleveland as well, for the summer anyway. He was one of the only remaining members of the Watcher's Council. As part of its gambit to destroy the Slayer line, the First Evil destroyed the Council's headquarters while a massive meeting was underway. Giles was assigned with helping track down and bring in all girls who had been affected by activating the Slayer Legacy. The Council had approached him one night in July.

"_You want me back?" Giles asked the two men who were standing in the door to his apartment._

"_We need you," one of them, the blonde, said._

"_Your experience in invaluable," said the other, black haired._

"_And I suppose the fact that there are only a handful of Watchers left is of no consequence?"_

"_It is a factor."_

"_What would be the conditions of my return?"_

"_Full re-instatement. Promotion to the Echelon. Salary commensurate with a senior Watcher on the Echelon. Full benefits," said the blonde._

"_Dental?" Giles asked._

"_Of course," black hair said._

"_Anything else?" Giles wondered._

"_We would need you to come back to England for a period of time. We need all the help we can get in putting the Council back together."_

"_Of course," Giles agreed._

"_So you'll be taking our offer?"_

"_I have to think about it," Giles replied. "There are factors to consider. Options to weigh."_

"_Quite right," black hair said._

"_Here's our number. Ring us when you've reached your decision."_

"_Please don't take too long."_

"_I shan't," Giles said._

_Indeed, he only took two days to give the Council his answer. He invited Blonde and Black hair back to his apartment for tea._

"_I want you to know I'm only coming back on my terms. The Council has been very…well, let us say the Watcher's Council and I have had our fair share of disagreements in the past."_

"_Quite true," the blonde, Heathcliffe Meyjer, said. "We've found this to be all too true with all Watchers in the field. Mr. Zambuto said essentially the same thing when we approached him."_

"_Really?"_

"_Absolutely," the black haired chap, Tyler Gerard, affirmed. "We realize the Council's methods were archaic at best, which is why we want every retired field Watcher to have a hand in rebuilding it. We feel their input would be of monumental importance."_

"_Too little, too late, don't you think?" Giles asked._

"_Perhaps," Meyjer admitted. "But there is still evil to fight. Vampires still walk the night. Slayers still need training."_

"_Many Slayers need training," Gerard added._

"_Quite," Meyer agreed. "We need as many Watchers as possible."_

"_Now, you mentioned something earlier about terms?" Gerard asked._

"_Ah, yes," Giles said. He put down his cup of tea and fixed the two men with a steady gaze. "My terms are simple and straight forward. First, I want every Slayer who is active and fighting nightly to receive a salary from the Council. I've seen the affects of trying to balance a day job with nightly patrols. It does no one any good. A tired Slayer is a careless Slayer. And with so many, their chances of survival will be greater. They will live longer in this world, and I say they should be able to afford to do so." When neither man made a move to argue Giles continued. "Second, I want a house here in Cleveland. In my name, not the Council's. I will give you the appropriate information and you shall purchase it."_

"_Anything else?" Gerard asked conversationally._

"_I want to be one of the Watchers bringing in Slayers. It has to be done with finesse and subtlety. I have seen a serious lack of those two traits within the Watcher's Council." Giles replied. "Those are my terms. Without them, I cannot in good conscience return to the Council. Even the Echelon."_

_Meyjer and Gerard sat back and exchanged a look. Meyjer turned to Giles and leaned forward._

"_We cannot guarantee a salary for every Slayer." He held up his hand to forestall any arguments from Giles. "Mr. Zambuto made a similar request. As did many of the field Watchers. It is being seen to. Among those who survived the attack by the First Evil, we feel that if a Slayer abides by certain guidelines, she should be compensated for the risk involved with her particular duties."_

"_Guidelines?" Giles asked. "You mean controls."_

"_Nothing stringent," Meyjer said. "Periodic mental evaluation. Regular training. That sort of thing." _

"_After all, we Watchers have guidelines and get paid, why not see to it the Slayers do, too?" Gerard added._

"_Where were these sentiments years ago?" Giles asked wryly._

"_Sadly, they were very unpopular until only several months ago."_

"_And my other terms?"_

"_They are acceptable," Meyjer said._

"_Good," Giles replied. "Then I have one more to add, now that I shall be joining the Council once more."_

"_And that would be?" Gerard asked._

"_That as a newly re-instated Watcher, for the second time I might add, I serve as Buffy Summer's Watcher. Along with any other Slayer that may be in Cleveland."_

"_You want to be a member of the Echelon – which will have ten times the workload as before with rebuilding the Council – as well as an active field Watcher and bring in Potentials turned Slayers?" Gerard asked. Incredulity dripped off his tone._

"_Yes," Giles replied. "I've been quite bored this summer. Cleveland may be a hellmouth, but it isn't THE Hellmouth, and isn't as active."_

"_May we ask why you want to remain a field Watcher when you could be on the Echelon?" Meyjer asked._

"_You already asked," Giles pointed out. "But I shall tell you. Buffy Summers is an unusual Slayer. She needs an unusual Watcher. Wait, that didn't come out right." Giles stopped and took a breath before continuing. "Buffy needs a Watcher she can trust. And as with a lot of the Council's pawns, she finds that characteristic very lacking where the Council is concerned. With the amount of sympathy I was receiving earlier in our discussion, I thought you'd understand."_

"_We do," Gerard said. "And we accept your last term."_

_They shook hands on it._

Giles was gone by the beginning of August. Which was a lot warmer than tonight. Buffy wished for the heat of summer. That would make patrolling easier. But what really grated on Buffy's nerves was not the fact she was out here in the cold. No, it was the fact that no vampires seemed to be out tonight. She had traversed a goodly portion of the cemeteries, nightclubs and other vampire hot spots. All to no avail.

Since she was so extremely bored, Buffy contemplated how she got here. All the twists and turns. It was really amazing, when she stopped to think about it. She was called to be the Vampire Slayer at an early age. When she moved to Sunnydale, Buffy thought her life as the world's lone mystical female warrior was over. It just began.

She met Giles her first day at Sunnydale High. He was her Watcher, the man who trained and prepared her for the fight against evil. He doubled as the school librarian, and was a whiz at researching threats to the common and personal welfare of Sunnydale citizens. By the time Buffy was eighteen, Giles was a surrogate father to her. When Buffy's mother died, Giles was the one man who held her world together. He was the person Buffy always turned to for help.

Giles was committed to the fight against evil, but more committed to Buffy. When Giles was fired from being a Watcher due to his attachment to Buffy, he kept helping her, despite the burden it placed on him. When re-hired, there was no difference in their interaction; Giles was merely paid for his work.

Then Buffy died. She sacrificed herself to save the world. In his grief, Giles went home to England and quit the Watcher's Council once more. Buffy was resurrected by her friends and Giles was there as her rock. When she leaned too much on him, Giles backed off and left to England again. He said that if he stayed, Buffy would never grow up and he would not handicap her like that.

When the First Evil had its minions kill off Potential Slayers – girls who had the potential to become Slayers once the present Slayer died – Giles came back to Sunnydale. His presence grounded Buffy and gave her the focus she needed to come up with a plan to beat the First Evil. Giles was the closest thing Buffy had to a parent.

Buffy also met Willow on her first day at Sunnydale High. The mousy redhead became Buffy's best friend. Willow was a computer-geek with amazing hacker skills and a thirst for knowledge. Willow began studying magic during high school, getting serious about it during college. It was during this time that Willow met Tara and the two became a couple. From their relationship, both women came out of their shells, blossomed, and became two very powerful witches.

Then Tara died and Willow was consumed with grief and rage at her lover's killer. Willow went to a very dark place and nearly destroyed the world using her magical powers. She was brought back from the brink, but never really recovered from the loss of Tara, and the resulting homicidal tendencies. When Buffy found the Slayer's Scythe – a mystical weapon forged to help Slayers and a focal point of the Slayer Legacy – Willow reluctantly used magic to grant every Potential Slayer the power of being a true Slayer. The lure of the power of the magic was too much and Willow shied away from magic after that.

She still had the occasional magic "glitch." The lights in the house would flicker for no reason. Or the entire block would have a power surge. Things like that. Giles said it was because Willow had so much magical power that it was impossible not to have these little outbursts. But Willow refused to consciously use magic.

That first day at Sunnydale High was eventful. Buffy also met Xander. He was an affable young man who was head-over-heels for Buffy and best friend to Willow. That was why he started to fight the evil monsters of the night with Buffy. After a few years, Xander's crush on Buffy cooled down. Having his own girlfriend, Cordelia, helped. But then Xander and Willow kissed each other in front of their better halves. That ended Xander's romance.

Soon afterwards he began a relationship with Anya, a former vengeance demon turned seventeen year-old. That lasted until Xander left her at the altar. Anya stayed around Sunnydale and ended up reuniting with him just before the final fight with the First Evil. She died in that fight. Xander crawled into a bottle for a few months, but snapped out of his depression just as autumn settled in. And in a confrontation with an emissary of the First Evil, Xander lost his left eye. This did not help with his depression, but he dealt with it fairly well.

Which brought Buffy's thoughts to Faith. A couple months after coming to Sunnydale, Buffy died at the hands of a vampire named the Master. Xander came along quickly enough that he could revive her with some mouth-to-mouth. But in the few moments that Buffy was gone another Slayer was called. Her name was Kendra and she ended up dying less than a year later. Faith was her replacement.

Faith was a wild-child. She fought almost like she did not care if she survived or not. And during one of her fights, she accidentally staked a man. The killing sent her spiraling into badness. She began to work for the mayor of Sunnydale, a man who wanted to become a demon. Faith did some despicable things in his employ and wound up in a coma, compliments of Buffy. Once getting out of her catatonia, she tried unsuccessfully to take over Buffy's life. When that failed, Faith turned herself in and went to prison.

To save a friend – something she was seriously lacking – Faith busted out of prison. Once done with that, she joined Buffy in Sunnydale to fight the First Evil. When the town collapsed Faith took off with Robin Wood, the High School principal and son of a Slayer. He helped fight the First Evil and volunteered to be Faith's Watcher. They headed to Boston.

Thoughts of Faith led to Kennedy. She was one of the Potentials Giles brought with him to Sunnydale. She was now a Slayer. And Willow's girlfriend. Kennedy was a headstrong woman and did not get along with Faith. Buffy figured it was because Kennedy was a spoiled brat, used to getting her own way all the time. That did not go over with Faith, who would oppose Kennedy just on principle. It led to many a headache in Buffy's life.

A life that had been very interesting. From Los Angeles to Sunnydale, and from Sunnydale to Cleveland. Dying twice, coming back to keep fighting. Gathering a group of friends around her that made her nightly battles easier to handle. But she could not handle this cold without some action.

"Come on," she suddenly blurted. "I've hit every cemetery, I've crisscrossed this town – where are they?"

As her question left her lips, a noise down an alley caught her attention. It sounded like a trashcan being over-turned. A vampire on the hunt making that noise, maybe? Only one way to find out.

She sprinted across the street and into the alley mouth. She did not see anything right away, but then another trashcan crashed to the ground. She followed the sound, pulling a wooden stake out to be ready for anything. What she found disappointed her.

There, scavenging through the garbage was the rattiest man Buffy had ever seen. From the stench he emanated, this was not the first garbage he had been through. At her approach, he stood and turned to see what had caused the noise behind him. Seeing her with a weapon in her hand, he backed up.

"I didn't know this was your trash," he slurred. "I'll be going now."

He tripped over himself as he turned away from her. He fell sprawling, but got up quickly and ran down the alley in the opposite direction Buffy entered.

Buffy brought her hand down and looked around in disappointment. As she returned the stake to its place in the back of her waistband, she let out an exasperated sigh.

"I just don't get it. Two weeks with no vampire activity. It's like they all went AWOL or something."

She headed back the way she entered the alley. As she did she shook her head ruefully. "But that's impossible, what with the hellmouth being here and all. So what's up?"

On the docks seems like such a cliché, but that was where all the vampires were. Situated on a pier was a very old and large warehouse. It had no windows, bare florescent lights, and the floor sank into the pier ten feet, making for a large valley effect inside the warehouse.

Inside were gathered all the vampires of the greater Cleveland area. For a town the size it was, Cleveland did not have that many vampires. Perhaps it was because there were three Slayers living there. In any case, there were around two hundred vampires present, all standing in tense anticipation.

There were several gangs grouped with their leaders. And there were many lone-wolf vampires. All looked around at the others with suspicion. One and all they were nervous. Their facial ridges were exposed, fangs bared, eyes darting wildly. Whatever was coming was big, it was important, and it heralded the past.

Orick, the vampire who called them all here, came strutting in followed by four other vampires carrying a large box. It was made entirely out of silver and by the strain each vampire showed, weighed quite a lot. Orick walked to the front of the cement valley and motioned for the four vampires to put the box down next to him. He looked at the assembled crowd with smug satisfaction.

"As the last herald of the Master, and his only remaining faithful servant, I have brought to us a gift of unsurpassed value. Before his demise seven years ago, he sent a delegation of us to find and bring this package back to the Hellmouth. Sunnydale may be gone, but his intention was clear. He wanted to destroy the Slayer. And where better to bring such a boon than to where three Slayers live? When better to bring it out than when there are countless Slayers around the world? The Master may be gone, but his vision remains. We shall use the contents of this coffin to fulfill his dream of a world without the Slayer!"

He motioned to the four with the box and they opened it. Inside, lying asleep was the largest vampire anyone had ever seen. His feet were placed flat on the bottom edge of the box and his head jammed against the top of it, seven feet away. His shoulders filled the three and a half foot frame from side to side and his muscled bulk seemed ready to burst out of the box at any time. He was clothed in a gray, old-fashioned robe, complete with a cowl for his head and a rope around his waist.

Orick motioned again and the four lifted the huge creature up and out of the box. They laid him down on the cold floor. Once done, they closed the box again and carried it out of the warehouse, murmuring amongst themselves how it was much lighter, now.

The huge vampire's eyes fluttered open and he sat straight. He looked around, taking in all of his surroundings with a sweeping glance. His gaze brushed over the group of vampires, and as it did each of the assembled undead felt a chill settle into the base of their spine. Several vampires noted he looked odd. His facial ridges were more pronounced than other vampires'. The bumps protruded out from his face quite a ways while the indentations were deep fissures in his cranium. His eyes were a pale blue, yet pierced with a cold knowledge, as they swept over the room of undead. He opened his mouth and all his teeth were pointed and sharp; his fangs long and dangerous, even by vampire standards.

"Ou suis je?"

None assembled knew what the words meant. After waiting for a reply that was not forthcoming, the behemoth stood. He looked around once again, gauging his query.

"Wo bin ich?"

Orick, a bit nervous now, stepped forward. A lot of good this guy would be if he did not speak English. How was he supposed to use the big bastard if he could not follow instructions? And he had spent all that time perfecting that stupid speech.

"We are here to greet you," Orick said slowly and loudly. "You are Bane, right?"

"Ah, English," the big vampire said as he looked down at Orick's face. "A tongue I have spoken naught in many years. A vile language. Yes, I am Bane. Where am I?"

"A hellmouth," Orick replied with a nervous laugh. "Not THE Hellmouth. It's called Cleveland."

"Cleveland," Bane tried the name out in his mouth. "Who sent for me?"

"The Master did."

Bane took a long sniff of the air. His face wrinkled in puzzlement.

"Where is he? I smell him not. Only the putrid aroma of lesser vampires."

Everyone who heard this felt insulted. Their backs stiffened and they looked at Bane with hate. Most of them even growled. He ignored them, keeping his attention on Orick.

"He's dead."

"Dead? How long?"

"Seven years," Orick answered. "He was killed by a Slayer."

"Of course he was. Who else but a Slayer could perform such a feat?" He gave Orick a sharp look. "Who reigns supreme in this region?"

"What?" The question completely caught Orick off guard.

Before anyone knew he was moving, Bane was holding Orick off the ground by the throat. His right arm held the smaller vampire under the jaw, Orick's feet suspended a full foot off the cement floor. Bane's left arm remained at his side. He brought Orick's face close to his own.

"Which. Vampire. Lord. Rules. This. Region?" Bane emphasized each word by shaking Orick back and forth.

"No one," Orick managed to get out.

"The Lords are dead now," one of the more adventurous gang leaders, a tall skinny vampire named Dale said. "I think the Master was the last one."

"No, there is one more," Bane said. He eased off the pressure on Orick's throat but kept him in his hand, off the ground, "She, the Slayer cannot kill."

"But there's more than one Slayer now," Dale pointed out.

"More than one? How?"

"We don't know. All we do know is there's a lot of them. Three in Cleveland, alone."

"No matter," Bane said dismissively. "Even an army of Slayers cannot kill Her."

"That's good, right?" Dale asked. "I mean, one of us a Slayer can't kill? That's a bonus, huh?"

A thin smile cracked Bane's features. It was humorless and cold. His eyes sparkled and his teeth shone in the artificial light.

"It is excellent," he admitted. "At long last I shall finally be free of this servitude."

Dale smiled and nodded uncertainly. Soon the rest of the vampires joined him and they all smiled along with Bane, not really knowing why but smiling nonetheless. Ignoring the assembly, Bane regarded Orick, still hanging from Bane's grasp.

"But to do so I must regain my strength. I must feed."

Orick was able to give him a quizzical look. That was the last thing he ever did. Bane let out a growl so savage that to compare it to the growl of another vampire would be the difference between a mouse's squeak and a lion's roar. After this bellow from the depths of hell itself left his throat, Bane brought his teeth to bear on Orick's neck. Burying his fangs, Bane drank deeply of the vampire's blood. Orick never even let out a gasp of surprise before he was completely drained and turned to dust.

As Orick's body crumbled into ash, Bane looked up at the other vampires, who stood with shocked stillness. He let out another savage growl and jumped into their midst. He picked up one and sucked them dry. They too, turned to dust as he finished his rapid feeding. As one, the throng snapped out of their collective stupor to rush at Bane and overwhelm him.

Within seconds the giant vampire pushed them all back, then holding one in his grasp, he fed. When the unfortunate vampire in Bane's clutches turned to dust, those remaining fled.

With startling suddenness Willow bolted upright in bed, completely awake. She opened her mouth to scream at the fading memory of a horrible nightmare, but was unable to produce a sound. Swallowing hard, she got out of bed, turned on a light, and made her way to the bathroom. She splashed water on her face and looked into the mirror.

Water coalesced on her cheeks and dripped off her reflection's chin. She wiped her face with a towel and leaned closer to stare into her eyes. Red veins surrounded her dark green pupils. She sighed.

"Need more sleep."

As she uttered the words, her reflection's eyes changed from dark green into a pale blue. Her light complexion became even paler. She pulled back from the mirror and found her reflection replaced by that of a male vampire that had the palest blue eyes Willow had ever seen. His facial ridges were extremely pronounced and his teeth the most wicked looking she had ever laid eyes on. As Willow looked at the image that super-imposed her reflection, she thought not of danger or death but evil. Pure evil ready to be released.

The face disappeared from her sight, but not her memory. The nightmare her mind forgot upon waking suddenly crashed into her like a physical blow. She staggered and began to breathe shallow and fast, hyperventilating. That face, it was in her dream. It belonged to something terrible, something beyond magic, beyond vampire, beyond Slayer. There was something or someone else, too, shrouded in mist.

Willow screamed before her knees gave out. She lay clutching her legs to her chest, trembling. Slowly the fear retreated and she could think clearly. She didn't know how, she didn't know why, but she knew this was a warning. Something was coming.

A key was heard in the apartment door's lock. The door opened to reveal Kennedy coming home from her nightly patrol. She looked bored.

"No vampires again tonight," she muttered, expecting Willow to be sleeping.

She noticed the empty bed and with a quick scan of the tiny apartment, found Willow sitting huddled with her knees to her chest in the bathroom doorway. Kennedy jumped to her lover. She knelt down and put a hand on Willow's shoulder.

"Willow, what's wrong?"

"Evil … evil coming … evil."

"Evil? You mean the First? But we beat it, we won."

"Different evil."

"Willow, talk to me!" Kennedy exclaimed.

"Buffy," she said looking up. "I have to warn Buffy."

"Warn Buffy? Why don't you just tell me?"

Willow shook off Kennedy and crawled on unsteady arms and legs to the telephone. She picked up the receiver and dialed.

"Be home," She chanted. "Be home. Be home. Be home."

"Willow, talk to me!" Kennedy was running out of patience and getting very upset.

After what seemed an eternity, the phone was answered.

"Hello?" a sleep-befuddled voice mumbled.

"Dawn? Is Buffy there?"

"Willow?" Dawn asked. "No, she's not here. She's patrolling."

"When she gets in have her call me, okay?"

"Okay."

"The second she gets in," Willow insisted. "Promise me, it's important."

"I promise," Dawn replied. "Willow is everything okay?"

"I don't think so. That's why I need to talk to Buffy. Just stay inside and have her call me."

Willow put down the phone, stood up, and looked at Kennedy. The younger woman raised her eyebrows and let out a sigh.

"You want to tell me what's going on?" Kennedy demanded. "Buffy may be your best friend, but I'm your girlfriend and I'm a Slayer, too."

"I don't know what's going on," Willow admitted. "I think … no, I know … evil's coming. Old and powerful evil."

She took a step toward Kennedy and stumbled. The other woman caught her in her arms and brought her to the bed.

"Can you tell me what you know?" Kennedy asked gently.

In response, Willow only nodded.

Buffy's house was an old brownstone in a quiet neighborhood. In reality it belonged to Giles and he had a basement apartment here, for when he was in town. He was constantly on the go; though, finding all the Slayers and alerting them to their new station in life. Aside from him, only she and Dawn lived here. The Scoobies – the term the group used to describe themselves to each other – used this house as their meeting place when it came time to strategize.

On the other side of town lived Kennedy and Willow. Some could say that Willow followed Buffy to Cleveland. But "followed" was not quite the right word. Willow felt that if she did not help Buffy in her fight against evil, she would be abandoning her. What with the badness that was the First Evil, Willow did not finish her college education. So she transferred her UC, Sunnydale credits to John Carroll University. Now she was a full-time student and part-time sidekick.

Kennedy followed Willow. And "followed" was the appropriate word for Kennedy, who was so in love with Willow it was nearly painful. Since Kennedy was younger than Willow, she still needed to finish her senior year of high school. She enrolled at Catherine's Academy with Dawn. Kennedy was over eighteen; though, and she moved in with Willow. The two lovers were nearly inseparable, except when they went to class.

Xander moved to Cleveland, but had his own place a few blocks away. Due to the loss of his left eye, he got a job in construction management. It was basically the same thing as being a foreman, except he did not have to be outside in horrible conditions. He was in a funk most of the summer, because of Anya's death. A few one-night stands only made it worse. Then Faith showed up and everything changed.

_Buffy, Willow, Kennedy, Xander, and Dawn were sitting around Buffy's living room discussing a vampire nest in a crypt Kennedy found during last night's patrol. It was too big for one Slayer, so they were devising a plan of action._

"_According to this blueprint, there's only one exit," Willow was saying. "And of course, there's probably a sewer entrance not on the schematics."_

"_So what say we come up from the sewer like bats out of hell? Wait until it's light, and they won't have anywhere to go," came a voice from the living room doorway._

_Everyone looked to see who the new arrival was. Faith stood with a duffel bag in one hand. She was clad in leather pants, a tank top, and a jean jacket with army boots completing the look. She smiled._

"_Miss me?" she asked._

"_Faith," Buffy murmured. "I thought you were–"_

"_Going to Boston?" Faith shrugged. "Been there. Not much to see. Thought I'd give another hellmouth a try."_

"_We could always use another hand," Willow said._

"_Or two. If you still have them," Dawn added._

_Faith raised her arms and showed both her hands were still attached to her body. She joined the group. With three Slayers, the vampire nest was a cakewalk to eradicate._

_Faith stayed at Buffy's house in Giles' basement apartment – the one he never slept in since he was gone all the time – for a week. Then, to everyone's shock, she moved in with Xander. No one saw it coming, least of all Xander. One day he came home from work to see Faith standing at his door._

"_Faith, what are you doing here?"_

"_Came by to check on a friend. Can I come in?"_

"_Sure. Just let me unlock my door." He did. "There we go. Welcome to Casa de Xander," he said with a sweep of his arm._

_Faith walked in, followed by Xander. She looked around, it was a fairly good-sized apartment. To the right was a fairly large closet. It created the illusion of an entranceway upon coming in. Beyond this was the kitchen, with an open archway to the living room on the right of the back wall. On the front wall of the living room was the door to the large bedroom. The bathroom was in there, along the front corner of the bedroom. It was neat and clean, not what she was expecting. She told him so._

"_I know. But I hate living in filth. I grew up with the two worst parents on Earth. They never cleaned up, never washed dishes. It was a mess. I vowed I'd never be like them."_

"_Wise choice. I know what it's like to have horrible parents. Sometimes it's hard, really hard, to get out from under their…"_

"_Shadow?" Xander offered._

"_I was going for curse, but shadow sounds good, too."_

_An awkward silence fell between them. Faith stood leaning against the kitchen arch. Xander stood cupping his hands together, thinking of what to say next. He knew, or at least had a pretty good idea, why Faith was here. Broaching the subject would not be pleasant._

"_Want something to drink?" he asked, moving into the kitchen._

"_A beer would be great."_

"_Ah, Cleveland Xander is alcohol free." He turned to gauge her reaction. Faith raised her eyebrows. Xander merely shrugged. "Part of getting out from under our parents' curse. A big step for me was getting rid of alcohol."_

"_Soda?" she asked._

"_Soda it is. Soda is good."_

_Xander brought Faith a can of Coke. Sitting down he motioned her to follow suit. He opened his own can of sugary goodness and gulped down half. He looked at his guest._

"_You want to talk about it?" he asked._

"_About what?"_

"_Don't get all defensive and push-away-girl. I may only have one eye, but I can see just fine out of it." He paused. "Giles told us. Called us on the phone."_

"_God, can't keep anything secret for long!"_

"_Faith it's not exactly a bad thing to tell us. We are your friends. At least I thought we were."_

"_You are."_

"_So why not tell us Wood died?"_

_Faith's shoulders seemed to writhe as she struggled to find the right words. "I don't … It happened right in front of me. It's not something you just…"_

"_I understand, completely." Xander reached out and took one of her hands in his. "I mean, Anya didn't die right in front of me, but she's gone. And there's nothing I could've done differently."_

"_Yeah. Nothing."_

"_Anya and I were working our way through some serious shit. And then…"_

"_She was good people," Faith stated._

"_So was Wood."_

"_Yeah, he was good people." She wiped tears from her eyes. "The best man I ever knew."_

_She set down her soda and grabbed Xander on either side of his face. She pulled him into a deep kiss. Her hands moved to hold his head from behind. His went to her shoulders and held her. Their jaws worked feverishly while their tongues snaked in and out, over and under all around in their mouths. It was a hungry kiss, full of need and sorrow and pain. It was the least romantic kiss either ever experienced, and that was saying a lot._

_When they finally broke for air, Xander pulled back. He looked at Faith, panting for air, just as he was. She was so beautiful: dark brown hair, full red lips, a figure to melt a man from any distance. He knew this was not right. He was not sure if he cared, but he had to say it._

"_I'm not Wood."_

"_And I'm not Anya."_

"_Is this what we want? What we need?"_

"_I don't know. I'm tired of hurting. I'm so tired of being empty."_

"_Will this help?"_

_Faith shrugged. "Can't hurt."_

_They kissed again. This kiss was a little less needy and a little more passionate. It still lacked any positive emotion, but it was better than before. Things steadily heated up from there._

_Later, they lay on the carpet of Xander's living room. Faith was cradled in Xander's arms. He kept running his hand through her long dark hair. They both wore satisfied smiles. The mood was near perfect._

"_So, is this when you toss me out?" Xander asked. His smile remained on his face as the tone he used remained light. They had had sex before, while Xander was in high school. When they were done, Faith pushed him out of her motel room._

_Faith's smile was instantly gone._

"_What am I doing?" She stood up and began to dress hurriedly._

_Xander knew he blew it. He sat up and looked at her hard._

"_Faith, I was just kidding. I–"_

"_You know, let's not!" She made her way to the door._

_Xander got up and grabbed her by the arm. He spun her around. "What's wrong?"_

"_God, Xander! Don't you get it? I used you!" She tore herself out of his grasp and pulled her shirt over her head with extra force. "I used to like that feeling. Get some, get gone. But not anymore. Not after…"_

"_Wood?" Faith nodded and Xander continued. "Hey, if I remember correctly, we were both using each other, there. And let me tell you, I've tried to use other women, and it made me feel like shit, too."_

"_But not today?"_

"_What? No! Today was something special. I don't know, maybe it's 'cause I know you. Or maybe it's 'cause this is what we both need."_

"_I don't need your pity!"_

_Faith turned to leave. Xander grabbed her arm to stop her. She spun around and belted him. He stumbled back and tripped over his own clothes. He fell on his butt._

_Xander looked at her, stunned. The force of a good right hook from a Slayer was enough to knock anyone senseless. It was more than that, it was the fact she hit him. He did not think they were at the violent phase of this discussion._

_Faith looked at him, horrified. Then she did something Xander never expected. Her bottom lip began to tremble and her eyes began to tear up. He fought the wave of dizziness that nearly overpowered him and he stood to take Faith in his arms. She broke down and began to weep._

_Xander was so shocked by this turn of events he did not know what to do. So he simply held her. After five minutes, her racking sobs quieted down until they were merely hiccups. Another two minutes and she could talk._

"_God, I'm such a wimp."_

"_No, I think that's been waiting a long time to come out."_

"_It's just… Wood was right. He said there were guys out there who were good and decent. He was one of them. And you're another. And here I was, trying to use you."_

"_Hey, we went over this already. If this is using, I'll take it any day of the week. Maybe we were using each other. But I know I need what you have. Maybe you need me. I felt something there."_

"_It's called an orgasm."_

"_No. I mean, yeah, I felt that. But I mean I felt a connection with you. I felt it back when I was a senior. And I felt it today. I don't know if you did, but…"_

"_I did," Faith whispered._

"_Then why the tears?"_

"_Because that's not who I want to be anymore."_

"_Huh?"_

"_The user. I don't want to be her anymore."_

"_So don't," Xander replied. "Stay. Be a different Faith. It's okay if you change, especially for the better." He hugged her tight. "I wouldn't mind a lot more days like this. Minus the jaw-breaking right hook."_

"_Ohmigod, I'm sorry about that. Are you okay?"_

"_Nothing a good round of Slayer lovin' won't fix."_

_Faith smacked him playfully on the arm. Then she smiled up at him. "I see you're still dressed for the occasion."_

"_As long as the occasion calls for nudity, I'm always ready for that costume."_

_Faith smiled again._

Buffy walked up to her porch steps, still bored. Her arms swung listlessly and her head lolled from side to side. Another cold night without any vampires to kill.

Down the street there was a loud clang. Buffy's head whipped around to look. She did not see what caused the noise, but she did catch a commotion.

On the corner nearest her house was a manhole. The cover began to move, then was thrown off the asphalt to land several yards away with a twin clang to the one a moment before. A dozen or so vampires poured out and sprinted in opposite directions. Following them was the largest vampire Buffy ever saw. He caught one of his fellows and lifted him off the ground. The smaller vampire screamed as the bigger one bit into his neck.

After several moments, the bigger vampire was finished feeding and he let the smaller one go. The little vampire fell to the ground, turning to dust before hitting the pavement. The big vampire began to head in the direction the other vampires fled, but stopped. He turned in a slow circle and then made a beeline for Buffy.

To say the bigger vampire surprised Buffy by feeding off the smaller one was an understatement. She was shocked. So shocked that before she knew it, the big vampire was standing on her porch, towering over her. Shaking her head to clear it, Buffy forced her eyes to focus. All she saw was the vampire's stomach. She craned her neck to look him in the eye.

"Are you she who slays?" he asked in a voice from the grave.

Fear gripped Buffy's throat and turned her legs wooden. Even if she wanted to move, she could not. Concentrating on a meditation technique she learned from Giles, she forced the fear down. Swallowing she answered.

"I guess," her voice cracked. She took another steadying breath and tried again. "I guess. And you would be?"

"Bane. Bane of Slayers."

"Wow," Buffy said with sincerity. "I've never heard that one before."

Her look of sincerity was replaced with intensity as she let fly an uppercut to Bane's chin. Her fully extended arm just reached his face. The hit did connect and his head snapped back. Buffy followed that move up with a jumping front kick to his chest. Bane was driven back in surprise.

He regained his composure fast and when Buffy tried a jumping roundhouse kick, Bane was ready. Wrapping her leg with one arm and grabbing her waist with the other hand, he stopped her attack from landing. He lifted her to his shoulder level, only to be met with several fast and hard punches in the face from the diminutive blonde. Ignoring her offensive, Bane threw her into her porch floor.

Buffy landed hard, the breath knocked out of her. She lay paralyzed more with the fear that refused to stay down than by physical stress. This guy was serious. Well she could be too. Now all she had to do was get that pesky fear tamped down. And of course, he needed to give her a minute or so to do that.

Bane seemed to unwittingly go along with her plan. Instead of attacking her, as she lay nearly helpless, he stood above her. A puzzled look crossed his face and he cocked his head to one side.

"You are an enigma," he said.

For an answer Buffy brought both feet up into Bane's face. He staggered back from the force of the blow, allowing Buffy the chance to regain her feet. She put her hands by her head, bent her legs and rolled a little bit up with her torso, pushed off with her arms, arched her back and just like that was on her feet.

"Impressive."

"Yeah, I know," Buffy responded. "You should see me at parties."

Confusion darted across Bane's face at the remark. Buffy used his temporary lapse to pull out her stake. Jumping forward, she rammed it with all her might into his chest where his heart would be. She stepped back pulling the stake out with a judiciously satisfied nod.

Bane looked down at the wound, which was bleeding white blood. He wiped his chest and the puncture closed before his hand passed over the wound.

Buffy was horrified. Shock, panic and fear waged war in her mind. She tried to calm the bubbling agitation that was her psyche, but the shock numbed her. The panic and fear overwhelmed her and she was unable to move. She could not form any coherent thought other than that she was going to die and Bane would be the one to kill her.

Bane reached out and grabbed Buffy under the jaw one-handed. He lifted her straight into the air until their faces were level. He pulled her close.

"You are indeed the Slayer," he said evenly. "Not only do you have exceptional strength, but you also know where it is you must strike. Unfortunately for you, I am not a true vampire. Thus your attack did not succeed."

Bane stopped talking to sniff the air around Buffy's head. He moved his nose around from one side to the other. Letting out the air he had inhaled to smell her, Bane continued.

"I knew you were the Slayer upon sight. And your blood and your scent indeed have the marks of the Slayer. Although, there is something different about you – thus your mystery." His words began to part the fog of numbing fear that shrouded Buffy's mind and she looked at him with clear eyes. "Nonetheless, I could find you anywhere on the planet. Fear not, I am withheld from tasting of your blood, for it sings to me not. When it does, we shall meet again."

He extended his arm and dropped Buffy. She fell in a wheezing heap. As the moments passed, her fear retreated until it was gone. When she caught her breath she looked up. Confusion crossed her features and she looked around. Bane was nowhere to be seen.

"Who was that?"


	3. Part 1 Chapter 2

Chapter II

The next day saw the three Slayers, Xander, and Willow in Buffy's living room. Willow filled them in on her vision and her nightmare. Xander shivered at the thought of Bane's face super-imposing itself over Willow's. Buffy informed everyone about her encounter the night before.

"He fed off another vampire?" Willow asked.

"Yeah," Buffy replied. "Sucked it dry and it turned to dust."

"Yuck," Kennedy said. "Well, not the dusting part."

"One less we gotta kill," Faith added.

"Except that now we got the one that I tried to kill who didn't die," Buffy retorted.

"Maybe you have to kill him a different way," Willow suggested.

"Yeah, like beheading," Kennedy said. "Like with that ubervamp."

"Fire?" Faith added.

"Or my personal favorite," Xander quipped. "Sunlight. Just give him a big ole tan and see how tough he is."

"I don't think he's like that ubervamp," Buffy argued. "For one thing, he could talk. And for another, he bled white blood."

"But he's still killable," Xander pointed out. "Everything is, Buffy. Hell, you even socked it to a hellgod. And we all took on the First."

"Yeah, B, and we're all still here," Faith cut in.

"What we need to do is research," Willow said. "Find out who he is, what his weaknesses are."

"And with the three of us, he doesn't stand a chance," Kennedy said with confidence.

"What was his name?" Willow asked as she fired up her computer.

"Bane. Bane of Slayers."

In the dark warehouse he had been brought to the previous night, Bane stood alone. Last night had been full of revelations. With the Master dead, only one other vampire Lord walked the Earth. When she was no more, he would finally be in control of his life.

"Sixteen in one night," he said out loud. "My strength shall soon be sufficient. I shall be ready to face the Mistress and gain my freedom at long last."

He looked around the warehouse. It was as bright as noontime to his eyes; centuries of moving in darkness augmented his already formidable night vision. The energy of this place, this Cleveland hellmouth, was incredible. He could feel it humming everywhere he went. The residual energy was enough that he could see why so many demons and vampires were attracted to where such a strong Slayer resided. Not just one, but three Slayers lived here. Puzzling that, but true nonetheless.

He could sense them. Sometimes the mystical energy of the hellmouth obscured this unique trait of his, but it only lasted for short periods of time. The Slayer he faced last night – he could not remember her name – he could feel her life pulsing. The other two Slayers, he merely knew their general location, this far away from them. When his ability was not hampered he could point to where the small blonde was. Straight as an arrow's flight he could stalk her down if so inclined. This close, her power called to him, urged him to fight and kill. The other two, he needed to meet them to be able to find them as easily.

The Slayers were not his main concern, yet. It was the other presence he felt that he was concerned with. The presence that drew ever closer as the moments passed.

"She approaches even as the sun burns the sky," he ruminated. "Tonight I must fortify myself for what is to come. I must drink from the Slayers."

He stopped to concentrate. His unique abilities let him find all three Slayers. He was surprised and delighted they were together. If they stayed that way when night fell, his mission for the night would prove easy as well as fruitful.

"Yes, that is what I shall do tonight."

Buffy's living room was over-run with books. They were piled on the end tables, the couch, the chairs, and the floor. Willow had her laptop out and was researching the Internet. In five hours, searching through half the books and what seemed like a million websites, they still had not come across any reference to the Bane of Slayers.

"It's like the guy doesn't exist," Xander said in frustration. He sat back in his seat and threw down the book he was searching.

"Or that he's a brand new threat," Kennedy added.

"No, we've had this discussion before," Willow said, not looking up from her computer. "When you can't find what you're looking for in anything, usually that means it's old."

"How old?" Faith asked.

"Ancient threat type of old," Xander replied.

"When did we have this discussion about not finding info meaning the threat was old?" Kennedy asked.

"With Glory," Xander answered. "She was a hellgod and she wanted this mystical thingy … you know what, it's a long story. Have Willow tell you about it later."

"And I got the distinct impression he's been around a long time and faced a lot of Slayers," Buffy added.

"Ooh! I think I found him!" Willow exclaimed. "Here on Old Ones Myth dot org. White blood, invulnerable, really big."

"Sounds like him," Buffy affirmed.

"How big, exactly?" Xander asked.

"Well, when we were standing toe-to-toe my eyes were level with his stomach. And when I hit him with my fist I was barely able to reach his chin."

"That's big," Faith conceded.

"He's been around a long time, just like we thought," Willow commented as she read the on-screen information. "It says here no one even knows when he was born – or whatever you'd call it. The first known record of him is … almost three thousand years ago. And this says he was mentioned as being known from before then, too."

"That could be it!" Kennedy said hopefully. "I mean, if he's so old maybe it'd take a lot to kill him."

"Like what Faith had to do with that Keystroke guy," Buffy added.

"Kakistos," Faith corrected her. "I don't think so, B. For one thing, Kakistos bled red, not white."

"Not exactly a normal vampire reaction," Kennedy commented.

"Neither is not dying when staked," Xander pointed out. "Or the wound healing so fast."

"Is there really such a thing as 'normal' vampire reactions?" Willow asked. She looked away from the screen for a moment, "Vampire's aren't normal."

"You know what I mean," Kennedy said. "Normal for vampires."

"What else do you got?" Buffy asked.

"It says here that for more to look at _Wexler's Demonology._" Willow looked around, "I saw that somewhere. Where was it?" She got up and began looking through the stacks of books. Everyone joined her search.

"I know!" Xander exclaimed. "Maybe he has that Gem of Amanda. The one that makes vampires invincible."

"You mean the Gem of Amara?" Buffy clarified. "I didn't see any jewelry on him."

"Gem of Amara?" Kennedy asked.

"It's like a vampire holy grail," Buffy explained. "It makes vampires immune from physical harm."

"And you think he's got it?" Faith asked.

"No, I don't," Buffy answered.

"According to that short description of him, he's naturally un-killable," Willow added as she scanned some books for their titles.

"If you can call any vampire trait natural," Kennedy quipped.

"Well, it was a thought," Xander said.

"And a better one than thinking a vampire can't be killed," Faith admitted.

"Not a pleasant pondering," Buffy agreed.

"I can't find it," Willow stated. "You guys?" When they shook their heads she looked around the living room with a thoughtful expression.

"You know, I think it's at our place," Kennedy said with a matching expression. "I think I saw it yesterday."

"Yeah, now that you mention it, I think that's where I saw it."

"Let's go get it."

"You want us to come with?" Xander asked.

"Nah," Willow replied. "We'll drive and be back in no time."

"Be quick," Buffy said as she scooted over to the laptop to see for herself what was online. "It's getting close to sundown. I'd hate for you two to meet him."

"Believe me, that's not top on my priority list," Willow said as she and Kennedy walked out the door.

"According to this, there's only a few books that even mention Bane of Slayers," Buffy said. "And I don't think we have any of them here."

"Hey, that means no more with the reading!" Xander nearly shouted. "I like that! Go with the too old for writing guy."

"Well, I'm gonna go get some take-out." Faith stood, "You guys want?"

"Yeah," Xander said as he took out his wallet and handed Faith some money. "Whatever kind you get, get lots, okay?"

"No prob. B?"

"Sure," Buffy replied distractedly.

Faith's eyebrows rose in surprise. She shrugged and headed for the door. Xander followed her and just before she left, he gave her a quick kiss goodbye.

"Be quick. This guy's dangerous and I don't want you hurt."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you cared," Faith said with a smile.

"I do. In my own way."

"You want to come with me? We could get in a little horizontal fun before we came back here."

"Tempting, as always. But I think some damage control is in order, here."

"B?"

"Yeah."

Faith quirked her mouth into a half-smile, "Just don't go comforting her, understand?"

"Why, Faith, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were jealous."

"I just like to keep what's mine, mine." She gave him a deep and passionate kiss before leaving.

Xander headed back to the living room. Buffy still sat at the computer, not really looking at the screen. Her gaze was turned inward. Xander leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest. He watched her for a few moments.

"You okay?" he finally asked. "You look a little shook up."

"Just a little?"

"Right. You look a lot shook up, actually." Seeing no reaction but a lifting of her eyebrows, Xander continued, "He can't be that bad, can he?"

"You didn't see him, Xander," Buffy replied. "He's a walking mountain. Tall, wide, massive. And really ugly."

"Buffy–"

"He scared me, Xander," Buffy admitted with a sigh. "To say he frightened me wouldn't be an overstatement. I have never been this scared of an enemy. Not for a long time, anyway. And nothing compared to last night."

"You mean with all the baddies we've fought, you've never been scared?"

"Usually I'm too wrapped up in the fighting to let fear be an issue. Oh, I've been scared but I use the fear as a tool, harness it and make it a power source."

"I knew there was something I was missing in our fights," Xander cut in. "I need to do some harnessing, too. I'd be unstoppable."

"And I've been scared for others. You guys, Dawn. But I haven't been afraid for my life in years. I just felt so helpless."

"But you're okay now, right?"

"Yeah, now that the sun's up and I'm safe in my house," Buffy answered. She let out another sigh, "You know, you're right. When Willow comes back we'll find his weakness and exploit it."

"It's just that…" he prompted.

"It's just that the way he manhandled me and spoke about my blood and everything…"

"Creep you out?"

"More than that," Buffy stated. "He said I was an enigma. He said there was something different about my markings as the Slayer."

"Markings?"

"Blood and scent," Buffy responded. "What kind of freak am I?"

"What?" Xander couldn't believe this line of thought. "Freak?"

"A Slayer that's different somehow. I mean, this big freak singles me out and calls me a freak among freaks."

"He did not," Xander countered. "Unless you left that out of the narration." When she shook her head he continued, "So a big ugly got a little more weird than usual? And why are you listening to him anyway? He's the bad guy, he's gonna try to throw you off balance anyway he can."

"But he stopped chasing the other vampires because he smelled me. That's—"

"Nothing. So a vampire smelled you? They do that, remember? And he made a big speech? So what? That's what the bad guys do – make long expositions. Giving us much needed time to make them dead."

"But it's not just that," Buffy said. "I mean not just what he said. He merely brought it to the front of my mind."

"What to the front of your mind?"

"That I'm a freak."

"Stop already," Xander ordered.

"I mean, let's look at my personal life," Buffy kept going, "Angel was – is – a vampire. And I thought it was okay."

"As I dimly recall, you weren't too thrilled about it."

"But I ignored the fact he was dangerous. Because I'm the Slayer I thought it didn't matter my boyfriend was a vampire. Or it mattered, but was workable. Then I had sex with him – my first time – and he … I gave him something of myself … something I thought he'd cherish, and he became a monster."

"Yeah, but—"

"Then Parker. I thought we had something. Turns out all we had was lust. I was looking for commitment; he was looking for an easy lay. Guess who he found willing and able?"

"So—"

"And Riley. I thought I'd found the perfect guy. And he was for a while. And then he left me."

"And that's the problem here, Buffy," Xander said forcefully. "He left you. You didn't leave him."

"But I let him leave," Buffy countered. "What's wrong with me that I let him go?"

"Nothing. I'm not sure I can handle this much of the trip down bad memory lane. We've never really discussed this before but let me say something here."

"Go ahead."

"What about the notion, small as it might be, that it's them and not you?"

"Xander—"

"I mean, Angel," it was Xander's turn to ignore Buffy. "Vampire who goes psycho when he gets a happy?"

"You never liked him," Buffy accused.

"Pretty obvious, huh? The point is that it wasn't you; it was Angel. And as I distinctly recall, he broke YOUR heart by leaving YOU to go to L.A. And sure, circumstances, but still. And Parker, sure he wanted the Buffster, but who wouldn't?"

"A lot of guys, really. I don't see them banging down the door."

"That's because we're all just really shy around pretty girls. Look, the point is that wanting you isn't strange, it's the not wanting of the Buff that is. I mean, something's gotta be wrong with him if he only wanted you once."

"I don't know…"

"I do. I can see him thinking, 'if only just one time.' But that wasn't the situation. I mean, you wanted a relationship and he didn't. Why would he throw away a perfectly good chance to be with the Buffanator full-time?"

"And Riley?"

"Agent Finn had issues. Issues he couldn't handle here. So he left."

"And those issues were me."

"Not all of them. And any he had with you were because he didn't think he was good enough for you. Well, he proved himself right when he left."

"But I let him go," Buffy insisted.

"We've been over this already. And you can't be responsible for other people's actions." He let that sink in for a moment. Then he added, "I know I'm not the most open with my emotions. In fact, I'm pretty anti-share unless it's anger or fear. But since you did the 'share my horrible past,' I'm gonna open up, too."

"Okay," Buffy said hesitantly.

"You think you're a freak. But I know I am."

"Xander—"

"I am, me and every other male in the world who's sporting Y chromosomes."

"That would be every male, Xander."

"I know that. I mean, if we're gonna use relationships as our rule for freakdom, I so have you beat. Ms. French. Impata. Cordelia. Anya. Now Faith."

"All of whom had serious problems," Buffy pointed out. "Or have problems, in the case of Faith."

"Yeah and all of whom I am attracted to like a moth to a flame," Xander emphasized. "A big stupid moth to a huge flame of icky death."

"But what you said about me could be said about you."

"No, 'cause I just couldn't handle the good things I had." At Buffy's look of disbelief he added, "I mean with Cordelia and Anya. Sure they were self-centered and blunt to the point of pain, but I was happy with them. Most of the time." He shook his head, "No, the problem isn't you, it's the men in your life. We just can't handle good things."

"Alexander LaVelle Harris, you are not a freak," Buffy said forcefully. "No more than I am."

"Well, at least I got you to say you're not a freak," Xander said with a smile. "Feel better?"

"A little. Not too sure if I believe myself. And there's still the fear issue."

"Give it time," Xander advised. "On both accounts. I'm sure the more we know about this Bane guy, the less you'll be afraid of him."

"Speaking of you and Faith, how are things going?" The disapproval was almost masked by the curiosity in her voice.

"Getting better every day. I mean, we're not in love, per se, but we like each other. I can definitely see us moving past the whole, 'physical only' aspect of our relationship and getting to a deeper place."

"Hm. I don't know if that's possible with Faith."

"Buffy, you should know by now she's not the same person she was when she went to prison. I know you have a lot of issues with her, but she's changed."

"I know." Buffy's voice was small.

"Sure, she's still not little miss 'cuddly and hold my hand' but she's getting better at it. At least she doesn't kick me out of my own bedroom when we're done having sex."

"Okay, that was so too much information."

"I'm just saying, she's improving every day."

"And you, how are you doing?"

"Well, I lost my ex-fiancée, who I was still in love with, and my hometown the same day. Oh, and I lost one of my eyes." He paused to get the bitterness out of his voice, "Some days it hurts less than others. But I'm coping the best I can."

"Is Faith a part of that coping?"

"She was. But not anymore." He stopped and pondered his answer. "I know what you're thinking, and no, she is not just some way for me to pour out my feelings. She started out that way, and we both knew it. Of course, I was the same thing to her, too. And it did help for a while, but she's become more, now. Which really helps, too. And I've come to accept what happened to me. It's tough, but I'm getting by." He smiled, "I'm still here, fighting the good fight, right?"

"Right. And I really don't have any issues with her except I don't want to see my friends get hurt. And you're both my friends."

Xander smiled, "We'll be okay. And you? You okay?"

"Well, I'm not too thrilled about this Bane guy–"

"Buffy, that's not what I meant. You've … we've all been pretty pushing-away lately. Ever since before Glory and it hasn't gotten much better. Especially after bringing you back from the dead. So tell me, are you okay?"

"It's strange, but ever since Sunnydale became one huge crater in the Californian landscape, I've gotten a lot better. It's like it was closure on so many of my problems."

"So you're not going to need to have illicit rendezvous with the evil undead to make yourself better?"

"That's not what it was with Spike."

"Hey, I do know what it means to need that physical outlet. Remember, I just admitted that's what Faith started out as."

"Okay, maybe that was what Spike was to me."

"No need to get defensive. I'm not accusing. After being on this side of the fence, I see how it can be. I just want you to know you can come to me, you can confide in me. And I know Willow feels the same. We never want you to feel you can't come to us. No matter how absorbed we are in our own lives, you can rely on us. You know that, right?"

"I forgot. With Dawn, it was like protecting her was the only thing that mattered and you guys couldn't understand that." She put up her hand to forestall his arguments, "But I see now that you guys cared, too. And when I came back from the dead, it was just too hard and harsh here. But I do know you guys are there for me."

"And we'll always be there for you," Xander gave her a hug. "Even with this big ugly Bane-guy. What do you say we find ways to kill him in big ugly ways?"

"I say that sounds like a plan."

Willow stood at the bookshelf in her apartment with her occult reference books. Kennedy was at the computer desk, looking through the books stacked haphazardly around the desk. They each were running fingers over the spines, reading the names. Kennedy found it among those on the desk.

"Aha! Found it!"

Willow was at her side in a flash. Kennedy opened the book up to the table of contents and scanned the list of subjects. That did not work so she flipped to the back of the book to look at the index, and there it was, 'Bane of Slayers, the.' She opened the book to the specified page and they were both disappointed at what they found.

"Only a page?" Willow asked. With a sigh of frustration, her lips pinched together in concentration and she skimmed the material.

"I thought this was supposed to have more on this Bane guy."

"Oh, references," Willow said. "One thing Wexler's is good for, anyway. Let's see. J. Kulger's _Chronology of Vampires_, volumes four and twelve."

"Paul Carme's _Ancient Magicks. The Lords of the Old Ones_."

"I just saw that."

Willow looked up and returned to the bookshelf. In no time she pulled out a thick leather-bound book. In flowery golden script _Lords of the Old Ones_ was engraved on the front. She looked at the table of contents and flipped the appropriate page.

"Well, a little more here. Almost two full pages."

"At least it's better than nothing."

"I guess so."

"But…"

"But more than this would be nice." Willow made her way to the door, "I mean, we're going to need all the help we can get on this one. Buffy was real freaked."

Buffy's living room was now an even bigger disaster area than before. In addition to the books scattered everywhere, there were pizza and Chinese take-out boxes littering the floor. All of this was ignored as the five Scoobies compiled a list of Bane's known attributes from the two books Willow and Kennedy brought back with them.

"And then there's 'Bane cannot be killed by beheading,'" Buffy read aloud from the book she and Kennedy were both looking at.

Willow wrote the statement down on a legal pad. Her look of disgusted frustration mirrored by everyone present.

"What does it take to kill this guy?" Xander asked the thought on everyone's mind.

"Well, like the preface to the section says, only sunlight," Faith said.

"As a lot of Slayers and Watchers throughout history have found out," Buffy added. "At least according to this."

"You'd think a bad-ass this bad would be mentioned in other books," Xander commented.

"He probably was," Willow said. "I bet he showed up in a lot of Watchers' diaries. But since the Council was all blowed up, we'll never know."

"The usual stuff doesn't even phase him at all," Kennedy remarked as she looked over Willow's list. "Garlic: no affect. Crosses: no affect. Staking, beheading and fire won't kill him."

"So what happens if his head's cut off?" Faith asked. "Does he just put it back on?"

"Probably," Willow answered distractedly.

"Unless he can't be decapitated," Xander suggested.

"Like his neck bones can't be cut or something," Kennedy added.

"I'm really not liking this guy," Buffy stated.

"Show of hands for those who are," Faith said. No one raised his or her hands.

"Aha!" Willow exclaimed. "In the _Lords of the Old Ones_, it said to look under the section on legends. Here's a Clefts note account of the creation of Bane."

"Creation of Bane?" Buffy asked for clarification.

"He wasn't just sired?" Kennedy added.

"According to this, the vampire Lords were tired of seeing their people killed by the Slayer," Willow explained. "Even if they killed her, a new one kept coming. So they called on the darkest of black magic to bring forth their champion." She read a little more then continued, "The lives of three vampire Lords, three lesser vampires, and three humans were used to give him life."

"What else does it say?" Faith asked.

"Something about the price the Lords had to pay," Willow responded as she skimmed the text. "And a bond to the vampire that performed the ritual."

"No, about Bane," Faith insisted. "What about weaknesses? Ways to kill him. There's got to be something."

"Here it is. 'Bane can be killed by sunlight, contained within silver, and salt shall take his strength.'"

"Silver?" Xander asked.

"Salt?" Kennedy inquired. "I've never heard of either affecting a vampire."

"They don't," Buffy confirmed. "This guy's something else."

"He is," Willow agreed. "According to this he's not a vampire 'cause he doesn't have any humanity. Nor is he really a demon."

"So he just looks like a vampire," Faith said. "He's not really one."

"Well, at least we know his weaknesses. Even if they are a whole big whopping three," Xander quipped.

"According to this he has some limitations, too," Willow offered.

"Such as?" Buffy demanded.

"He's subject to vampire Lords," Came the quick reply.

"What is a vampire Lord?" Xander asked. "Aren't all vampires the same?"

"No," Faith answered. "All vampires are not created equal."

"Here, only three pages before Bane, they define vampire Lord," Willow said. "Uh, yeah, right here. 'A vampire Lord is a Master vampire who has been such for a long period of time – several centuries – and has ascended to a new level of power.'"

"Super Master vampires?"

"Apparently," Willow said. "Oh, and then they say, 'Or a vampire that was among the original seventy-five vampires that walked the Earth.'"

"That had to be a long time ago," Buffy commented.

"So either super Master vampires or just really old ones," Kennedy chimed in.

"Well, that clears up what a vampire Lord is," Faith interjected. "So what other limitations does Bane have?"

"He doesn't feed off humans. Only vampires and Slayers."

"That would explain last night's feeding," Buffy interrupted.

"He can't come into your house unless invited," Willow continued. "He can't harm a vampire Lord. And unless ordered, he won't seek out a Slayer."

"I'm guessing only a vampire Lord can order him around," Faith said.

"Yup."

"So what's he doing in Cleveland?" Xander asked. "There aren't any super old and powerful vampires here. If there were, we'd know about it, wouldn't we?"

"Yeah, it'd be kind of hard to keep that type of thing a secret from three Slayers," Kennedy said. "You could hide it from one, maybe. But not three."

"So, ixnay on a vampire Lord," Xander said.

"There could be another reason," Willow stated.

"Such as?" Faith asked.

"Here it says, 'Bane shall have no will of his own as long as Lords walk the Earth. Only when there are no more shall he be his own to command.'"

"That could be it, right?" Kennedy asked. "I mean, if he's as old as this book says, maybe all the Lords are gone, huh?"

"Could be," Buffy said. "I mean Slayers would have killed them any chance they'd get. I know I always feel good after taking down a particularly nasty vampire."

The other two Slayers nodded consent to this feeling.

"And what was it, three thousand years ago Bane was created?" Xander asked.

"Before that," Kennedy corrected.

"Even more time for the Lords to all get dusted," Faith pointed out.

"So maybe he's here on his own," Willow offered.

"Which begs the question–" Buffy said.

"Why is he here?" Faith finished.

There was a moment of silence. Then Xander coughed.

"So what do we do now?" Xander asked. "We've researched this guy and nothing seems to work except running away."

"And running never works," Faith said.

"We just end up fighting anyway," Willow stated.

"I say we just find him and kick his ass," Kennedy offered.

"I agree," Faith said.

"He was created to kill us," Buffy pointed out. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Yeah, but I bet he's never faced three Slayers at once," Faith said with a smile. "That'd be a shock for him, don't you think?"

"You weren't there last night. The fear he made me feel, it was uncanny. I've never felt that way, ever. It was like a weapon he was using against me."

"We get that, B. It's what he was made for. To hunt us down. That's got to be a part of it," Faith said.

"But I seriously doubt he can turn the fear factor on all three of us at the same time," Kennedy added.

"Well, the good thing is that he seems very single-task-oriented," Willow said. "From what we've read."

"Which isn't much," Xander pointed out.

"Granted," Willow agreed. "But he is only concerned about one thing at a time. And he'll put all his energy into that one thing."

"So what's his 'one thing' here in Cleveland?" Faith asked.

"It can't be Buffy. If it was, she'd be dead," Kennedy said. Everyone stopped and gave Kennedy a serious look. She looked around, "I'm just saying, it's what he was built for."

"She's right," Buffy said. "So he's not in town for a Slayer suck-fest."

"What is he in town for?" came a voice from the doorway.

Everyone looked over and saw Buffy's little sister, Dawn, standing there. She had a backpack slung over one shoulder and she wore a heavy coat over her clothing. Her brown hair was loose and hung down past her shoulders. She looked at them all with curiosity. "So what's up?"

"Dawnster!" Xander said with a smile. "Trouble, as always."

"Hey Dawnie," Willow greeted her. "Where have you been?"

"At Michelle's," Dawn replied. She made friends easily enough and now spent almost every night at a different friend's house. Looking around the room she asked, "Big trouble?"

"Biggest," Buffy replied.

"Without actually ending the world, anyway," Faith supplied.

"Just big trouble for us Slayer types," Kennedy added.

"Well, I can help," Dawn offered. "Research mode and all that."

"Actually, you can't," Xander said. "We're pretty much tapped out on the research end."

"All these books and nothing to read?"

"All these books and nothing on the bad guy," Buffy corrected.

"It's like every record of him disappeared," Willow said.

"Which could have happened," Kennedy added.

"Been over this all ready," Faith said testily.

"Not with Dawn," Kennedy snapped back.

"Ladies, let's not get started tonight," Xander interjected. He did not know what it was, but Kennedy and Faith were at each other's throats constantly. It did not take much to set them off. Something had to be done to stop their bickering. But no one knew what it would take.

They looked at each other with hostility, but otherwise kept quiet.

"What's the bad guy's name?" Dawn asked.

"Bane," Willow answered, glad to have something to break the tension between her lover and Faith. "And we don't know what he is."

"He looks like a vampire, but isn't one," Buffy supplemented. "And he doesn't die like one."

"Neat."

"No, it's not neat," Buffy corrected.

"If he can't be killed we're all in some serious trouble," Kennedy said, tearing her eyes away from the staring match she and Faith were in.

"He can't be that bad," Dawn quipped. She saw the looks on their faces and asked, "Can he?"

"Well, the sources are limited," Willow hemmed.

"And sketchy," Faith added.

"But they don't paint a pretty picture," Kennedy finished.

"If only we had a copy of the ritual they used to create him," Willow huffed. "It could help so much in figuring out a way to fight him. But in here it says that the magic the Lords used was so black that the knowledge of it was destroyed soon after he was made."

"Sounds like whatever they did scared even the most powerful vampires, huh?" Kennedy asked rhetorically to no one in particular.

"He was made?" Dawn asked. "Not sired? Or whatever you call it?"

Instead of explaining everything, Willow simply handed Dawn the book she was holding. The younger woman read the passages quickly. When she looked up, Willow handed her the legal pad with the notes they took. Dawn quickly scanned over the information.

"Holy water!" she exclaimed.

"What?"

"Holy water!" Dawn insisted. "It's not on this list!"

"No, it's not," Faith said.

"Well, if he's so old, he obviously was around before holy water came into use. So it could be a weakness no one ever thought to check," Dawn explained as if to children.

"She could be right," Kennedy said thoughtfully.

"Got any holy water, Buffy?" Faith asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, let's all take some and see if we can't find this Bane guy and kill him," Faith said.

"I don't know…" Buffy began.

"Come on, Buffy, you want to be the one hunted or the hunter?" Kennedy asked.

"Well, being the hunter has its advantages," Buffy admitted.

"Right. So we team up and take along holy water," Faith said. "You and Kennedy, me and Xander. We split up and go through the cemeteries."

"Whoa, I thought we agreed Bane was too dangerous for one Slayer alone?" Buffy argued. "Why are you going by yourself?"

"I'm not, I'm taking Xander with me," Faith countered.

"Yeah, if he does show up, I can always run interference," Xander said. "Distract him long enough for Faith to get out of there if the holy water doesn't work. After all, he won't be interested in me."

"The book says he can't feed off you. That doesn't mean he can't kill you," Dawn pointed out.

"I'm not liking this plan," Willow said.

"Me neither," Buffy agreed. "Not with a guy like Bane."

"Like Bane?" Faith asked. "Buffy, we don't even know anything other than what that book says. The only way we're going to find anything out is by fighting him."

"And maybe getting yourself killed," Buffy shot back.

"It's a chance I'm willing to take. I do every night," Faith argued. "Besides, I'll have Xander watching my back."

They argued for a few more minutes. Buffy, Willow, and Dawn insisting that it was too dangerous for one Slayer to go alone. Faith kept pointing out she wasn't going alone, that she had Xander. Finally Faith got her way.

"Each pair of us will take a different part of town," Buffy said as she handed out flasks of holy water to those going out. "Kennedy and I will go east, you and Xander go west."

"Check," Faith said with a smile. "We'll go through the cemeteries, bars and other haunts vampires like to hang out in. Like I said, this will be faster this way."

"If you run into him, just throw the holy water at him and see what it does. If it doesn't do anything, just get the hell out of there," Buffy said.

"Got it, B," Faith replied. "No need to go all mother hen on me."

"We'll just stay here and see if there's anything else we can find," Willow said from the couch. She and Dawn were staying inside tonight.

"Right," Buffy said. "Don't get in any trouble, Dawn."

"Willow's here with me, how much trouble could we get into?" At Buffy's look she added. "Okay, we'll be good, I promise."

Kennedy gave Willow a quick peck on the cheek and the four left.


	4. Part 1 Chapter 3

Chapter III

Cemeteries in the dark are never nice places to be. They are spooky, creepy, and not well lit. Cemeteries in Cleveland are even worse. You never know when a vampire will crawl out of a grave and attack you or some hideous demon will jump out from behind a headstone and try to disembowel you.

Xander and Faith made their way through the graveyard searching for Bane. On their way they came across three vampires slinking along the headstones. When Faith leapt at them, they scattered and ran, darting apprehensive glances at the darkness in the cemetery and not at all concerned about Faith.

"Like they're not even worried about you," Xander said when they ran away. "What a disappointment."

"Probably scared of being caught out in the open by Bane," Faith replied. "Not too keen on being sucked dry."

"Hey, dusting is dusting," Xander said. "Does it really matter how they become piles of ash?"

"I guess not," Faith conceded.

They had walked along a ways more when a vampire jumped out of a mausoleum and attacked Faith. The vampire jumped on her, pounding her with his fists. Xander leapt at him, only to be flung aside into a gravestone with a hard thump.

By the time the vampire was through manhandling Xander, Faith recovered from the shock of the sudden attack. She rolled onto her back, tucked her knees up to her chest, and kicked hard up and out.

Her assailant went flying into the air to be caught one-handed by Bane.

Faith rolled back past her right shoulder and through until her feet were on the ground. Standing, she saw Bane holding the struggling vampire in one hand. He seemed to ignore the undead in his hand as he regarded Faith. Pursing his lips, Bane began to walk away, feeding on the vampire in his grasp.

Faith took a few quick steps after him. The vampire in Bane's hands turned to dust and crumbled out of his fingers. Done feeding, Bane turned his gaze back toward Faith. Under that pale blue stare fear gripped her and her feet became cemented to the ground.

"Interesting hamlet you reside within," Bane said conversationally. "Very powerful, this hellmouth."

Faith racked her brain for a pithy comeback. But the fear that Buffy warned her about shrouded her mind. She could not think straight. All her energy was directed toward cutting through the fog that was her mind. She had to overcome this fear or Bane was going to kill her. She had to –

"Faith! Faith!" Xander was shaking her.

Her mind cleared as his voice grounded her. She shook her head and with a full-body shiver, snapped out of her mental paralysis.

"You okay?"

"Fine," Faith said looking around. "I hate that guy."

"What guy?" Xander asked in confusion.

"Bane, that's who," Faith said still looking around and not at Xander. "Did you see where he went?"

"Bane was here?" Xander's voice was now fearful.

"Yeah, just a second ago."

"Uh, Faith, he wasn't here just a second ago. In fact I've been trying to get your attention for a few minutes. I mean you were doing a pretty mean thousand yard stare and all, but there was no one there."

"What? How long was I like that?"

"I'm not sure. But when I came to you were just standing there, staring."

"He's more dangerous than Buffy thought. He can get in my mind without trying." She walked away and kicked a headstone in half. "God! I need to get rid of him!"

"You okay? Or did that gravestone need a good pummeling?"

"I say we find Kennedy and Buffy and get the hell inside. Now!"

Xander shrugged his shoulders and followed her out of the cemetery.

Standing behind a mausoleum, watching them leave was Bane. Due to the proximity of the Slayers' energy during the day, he thought they must work together. He wanted them together, or his plan would not work. The Slayer had mentioned something about a Buffy and Kennedy. They must be the other Slayers. He stepped from behind the crypt and followed his quarry.

Behind him crept Dale, the skinny vampire who answered Bane's questions the night before. Bane knew he was there, but was unconcerned at his presence. Bane let him follow.

Faith and Xander found Buffy and Kennedy outside a demon bar named Wagner's.

"Kennedy, Buffy, hold up!" Xander called to them. They waited for their friends.

"No use looking anymore," Faith said as they joined the other two Slayers. "We found Bane."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Buffy asked.

"Judging by the fact they're still alive, I'd say it's a good thing," Kennedy said.

"We didn't fight him," Xander said.

"So you ran?" Kennedy asked with a snide smile.

"Not exactly," Xander looked sideways at Faith.

"What does that mean?" Buffy asked.

"It means the brunette was overcome with fear," a coarse voice said from the darkness. "It happens more often than not."

Bane stepped out of the shadows. He bared his fangs, his teeth glinting in the artificial streetlights. He growled and all four humans were overcome with dread. Xander snapped out of it first, being immune to most of the fear since he was not a Slayer. With a yell, he stepped forward and threw his flask of holy water at Bane.

The glass container spun toward Bane, and he plucked it out of the air and tipped his head back to pour the liquid down his throat. With a satisfied sigh he brought his head down and threw the jar to the ground where it crashed against the pavement, shattering into thousands of pieces. He licked his lips and smiled.

"Holy water. A delicious draught. Quite ineffective when fighting one such as I."

"Well, there's only one like you, isn't there?" Xander asked. "So I guess we don't have any reference point, do we?"

"No, I suppose you do not."

Buffy and Faith snapped out of their dazed fear. Kennedy, never having faced Bane, was still standing frozen with terror. The two older Slayers looked at each other, communicating without words, and attacked.

Buffy went high; Faith went low. Buffy came in with a jumping sidekick. Faith went for a low sweep. Buffy collided with Bane. Her leg bent with the impact. Her knee rammed into his chest. She bounced off him and fell back onto the asphalt with a dull thud. Faith hit Bane just below the knees. Her leg bounced off as if she kicked two concrete posts, his legs giving less than the concrete would.

Wincing with pain, both Slayers backed off as fast as they could. They gingerly got to their feet and faced Bane. He had not moved since throwing the drained flask onto the ground. Now he stepped forward.

"I need my strength."

"You seem strong enough to me," Faith said. She rubbed her shin.

"I need more. For that I must have your blood."

"But you can't take their blood without being ordered to take it!" Xander yelled.

"Oh, I can, now," Bane countered. "For my will is almost my own."

Bane jumped forward, backhanding Buffy as he landed between the two Slayers. Buffy went flying in the air. She hit the wall to the bar with a bone-crunching thud and slid down the side of the building. She landed in a heap and stayed there.

Xander sprang at Bane, only to be knocked aside with a thoughtless sweeping kick from the large monster. Xander hit the pavement and rolled end-over-end until he, too, hit the outside wall of Wagner's.

Faith hit Bane with a few punches, pivoted on her heel, and drove her elbow into his stomach. Bane took the blows without moving. Faith stepped back, jumped into the air, and kicked her foot up. Her foot connected with his jaw, snapping his head back. She smiled; he could be affected by her attacks.

Bane brought his head forward and grabbed Faith under the chin. Fear gripped her tighter than his fist. She stopped struggling and let herself be lifted into the air. Bane sank his fangs into her neck.

Buffy was staggering to her feet when she saw Bane's face descend toward Faith's throat. With a strangled yelp, she stumbled forward, her feet refusing to work properly after being knocked into that wall. Before she could reach the pair, Bane was done. He let go of Faith and she slumped to the ground. Her neck had twin puncture wounds, which still bled. Faith's eyes rolled back into her head and she lay still on the ground.

Buffy gathered her strength and with an anguished cry, launched herself at Bane. The behemoth caught her mid-flight in his right hand. She struggled, kicking and twisting wildly as she tried to pry herself out of his one-handed grip. She beat on his forearm. She used both arms to try loosening his fingers, all to no avail. With a left hook, Bane knocked her unconscious. She went limp and he brought her close. He sank his teeth into her flesh, drinking from her.

He dropped Buffy when he was done with her. He turned to Kennedy, who was still standing frozen with fear. Some Slayers, like Buffy, were able to put up a fight instantly. Others, like Kennedy, could not. Sometimes, if Bane let them live to face him a second time, they could react, sometimes not. The fear Bane emanated caught them and held them. It did not truly matter which reaction they had, since Bane was designed and endowed to butcher Slayers.

He stepped up to Kennedy. She was completely catatonic on her feet. Bane lifted her effortlessly and pulled her close to his face. He quickly drank from her, letting her fall to the pavement when done with her. Looking around, he nodded once in satisfaction.

Xander moaned and stirred. He sat groggily and looked around. He saw his friend, his lover, and his best friend's lover all lying on the asphalt. They were pale and their necks were still bleeding. He began to crawl toward the three women.

"When they waken they shall feel light-headed. But they shall awaken. I only needed enough blood to strengthen myself for what is to come," Bane told him. "Make them rest, if you can. They will need every ounce of strength they can get in the days ahead."

Xander looked at Bane with fear and hate burning brightly in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and stood. On shaky legs he made his way to his three friends.

"They're going to kill you," he managed to say. "And I'm so going to be there to watch."

Bane cocked his head to one side and regarded Xander. After a few moments, he turned and strode away.

Xander fell to sit on his haunches, unable to stand anymore at the moment. He was nearest to Faith. He managed to reach her. Cradling her head in his arms, he checked for a pulse. To his surprise he found one, a strong one, too. With hope shooting through him, he checked the other two. They had strong pulses, also. With a triumphant shout, he remembered his cell phone, and used it to dial Buffy's house.

"Willow… Yeah, it's Xander… Come get us… We're in desperate need of wheels, right now… Yeah, Bane. It's not a pretty sight… No, we're all alive, thank God... We're at that demon bar on thirty-third. Wagner's… Okay, get here quick… Bye."

A group of fifty vampires stood around in a small park. There were more exits, as they could run in any direction they chose, than in an enclosed space. With Bane, this seemed prudent. They looked around nervously. They jumped when Dale and a female vampire named Bea joined them.

"So?" one of the vampires asked.

"So, I know what we're going to do," Dale said.

"And that would be what?"

"We're going to lure him to the old Rowling Salt Mine," Dale said.

"Why a salt mine?"

"Because salt will sap his strength," Bea answered. "That's what I overheard at the Slayer's house."

"Okay, and how are we going to lure Bane there?"

"By getting the Slayers there."

"The Slayers? Are you crazy?"

"Like a fox," Dale replied. "If we get them there, Bane will come. We get Bane there, we might be able to get him down a mine shaft."

"And since salt takes away his strength, he'd be trapped there."

"And since it's abandoned, there's no way he'll get out," Dale finished the thought.

"But how are we going to get the Slayers there?"

"Yeah, without getting dusted?"

Dale smiled. This was the genius part of his plan.

Bane walked the empty streets of Cleveland. Everywhere he went he smelled the Slayers. His mind was still coming to grips with the reality of more than one Slayer. In fact, if he concentrated hard enough, and the hellmouth did not interfere, he could feel dozens of Slayers around the world. How that had happened, he could not even begin to imagine.

In all his years, he never thought for one second he would face more than one Slayer at the same time. Yet, there it was: three in one city, dozens around the world. Incredible as that was, it did not bother him. It was of no consequence to Bane.

As he walked along he felt the blood from the Slayers absorbing into his body. It was rich, full of vitality. With each step he took he felt himself grow stronger as more of the three Slayers' blood powered him beyond any level he had been in centuries. That was not even the most amazing part of the evening.

What was incredible was the power he witnessed earlier this evening. The little blonde Slayer – what was her name again? – was an untapped power source. She was most certainly different from the other two. He wondered idly if she even knew how special she was. As a Slayer, she stood far above and beyond the mass of humanity. With the amount of power she had, she stood above even the heartiest Slayer Bane had ever fought. Untapped power, but there none the less.

He was slowly becoming accustomed to the constant hum of the hellmouth. The energy here made all others he had ever felt pale in comparison, and one of those lesser vampires said this was not THE Hellmouth. Bane shuddered to think what kind of energy that place would have. It affected his ability to track vampires and it had severely cramped his ability to find the exact location of the Slayers. After more than five thousand years, not being able to sense a Slayer was unnerving.

He shrugged off the feeling, though. Now that he drank from all three, there was nothing that could break the link between them. He could point to any of them, and stalk them down, without flagging or deviation, anywhere on the planet, now. The fact that there were three of them in one city had worried him, but not anymore. He would be able to sense them long before they threatened him, if they could.

He was worried, though. Worried for the simple fact that he was worried, or that he could be worried. For his very long existence, he never worried. He never felt anger, fear, hope, joy, love, or hate. He never felt any emotions, ever. He was devoid of feeling anything other than physical sensations. That was how he was designed; it was how he was supposed to be. Now he was experiencing only what he could classify as "feelings".

During his long tenure in the desert he read a great deal. His previous master had given him thousands of books over the course of the years. These books were in every language he knew and were to keep him occupied during his long exile from the world. He researched many subjects while collecting so many books. Human emotion was one of his favorite subjects due to its fascinating complexities. He could now see in himself the telltale signs of human emotion. That bothered him.

Was it due to his long centuries of servitude nearing an end? Was it due to the number of vampire Lords dwindling to only one? Or was it owing to the fact he was on a hellmouth? Whatever the cause of his emotions, they were the cause of his worry. That worry bothered him more than any other concern he had.

Shaking his head curtly he dismissed the annoying sensation of emotions. He had greater problems. The Lords were all but gone. One remained and until she was no more, he would never be free. As if sensing him, she drew ever closer with each moment. It could be that she was destined for another location, but Bane did not believe it to be so. His affinity for her, due to his unique bond with her, let him know where ever she was anywhere on the planet. It had been thus since his first day on Earth. If he was to be ready to face her, if indeed he could, he needed not only all his strength, but also he needed knowledge of this hellmouth.

He stopped in front of his destination. Cocking his head, he looked at the sign. "Cleveland Historical Society, Chamber of Commerce, and Visitor's Center." This would be an excellent place to begin his research. He needed a detailed map of this city. Knowing the layout of the land would help him in his plan for freedom.

That was when his senses began to tickle. Concentrating hard, he let his consciousness wander until he knew what his senses were trying to tell him. Opening his eyes he turned on his heel and retraced his steps with unbelievable speed.

Willow arrived only moments before the vampires did. She pulled up in the minivan Giles had bought when moving to Cleveland. Dawn was in the navigator's seat. The two young women got out of the car and hurried to their downed comrades. Buffy, Kennedy and Faith were conscious, but groggy.

"Willow, thank God you're here," Xander said as they rushed to help. "Let's get them in the van."

"We're not that bad," Buffy said, shaking off Dawn as her younger sister tried to help her to her feet.

"Yeah, we are the Slayers," Kennedy added. "The Chosen Ones."

She managed to stand, only to waver and fall on her butt. She winced in pain and looked at her lover standing above her.

"Okay, maybe just a little help."

That was when the vampires arrived. Dale led the group, which had doubled to one hundred vampires. They growled menacingly and circled the six humans, who were in no shape to fight. Xander was supporting Faith, Willow had Kennedy, and Dawn was propping Buffy to a standing position.

"Shit!" Xander summed up everyone's thoughts. "We're in trouble."

"And how," Dale said. "But you don't have to be. We're not here to kill you."

"Really? 'Cause showing up in full force and all, not inspiring confidence," Faith replied.

"All we want are the Slayers," Dale said. "The rest of you can go."

"Do you really think we'll do that?" Dawn asked.

"Look at the odds, sweetheart," Dale countered. "You're hopelessly outnumbered, the Slayers look like shit bags stuffed through a meat grinder–"

"Do not!" Buffy interjected.

"Shit bags stuffed through a meat grinder?" Kennedy asked with disgust. "Can anyone else here say 'icky'?"

"Icky," came a new voice from the shadows. It was coarse and harsh.

Bane stepped out and looked around. Instantly, vampires began to scatter. Some held their ground, but they all looked scared and worried.

"The Slayers must not be harmed," Bane announced. "I may yet have need of their blood."

Willow began backing away from Bane toward the minivan. The urge to resort to magic was immense. But she staved it off, barely.

Soon they were all inching their way to the vehicle. Bane took a step forward and as one, the humans bolted for the van. There was just a small problem. There were about forty vampires between them and the minivan.

With a roar, Bane fixed that by leaping into the midst of the vampires. He bowled over five when he landed. A sweeping backhand sent another three flying. He grabbed one and fed off it. Soon the forty vampires were gone. Bane turned and saw the humans looking at him with a mix of fear and amazement. He stepped out of their path and motioned for them to proceed.

As they passed him, one and all, they kept their eyes on him. He was big, he was mean, and he was scary. He was also a mystery. Not even thirty minutes ago, he fed off Buffy, Kennedy and Faith after seriously manhandling them. Now he saved them from vampires. This made no sense to anyone's mind.

The sliding door to the minivan shut. The engine started. Kennedy, who was sitting in the navigator's seat, rolled down her window.

"What's the deal? Why'd you save us?"

"Why do you ask such a question? Is it not enough that I have? My reasons are sufficient for me to know."

"Whatever. Why'd you do it?" Kennedy insisted.

"More importantly, how'd you do it?" Buffy was leaning forward from the back seat and looking out the window.

"You girls ask too many questions!" Willow said as she put the van into gear. Buffy stopped her from leaving by putting a hand on her arm.

"How'd you do it?" She asked again.

"I could feel the lesser vampires congregating on this one spot," Bane answered. "As I said previously, I may need your blood for the future."

"Well, don't think this makes us even!" Faith yelled from the back.

Willow put her foot on the gas and the van took off. Bane watched it go, and then turned to leave. His research of Cleveland had been interrupted when he felt the vampires around the Slayers. Now he had to go back and see what he could find.

"That was surreal," Buffy sighed as she sat back on the minivan's bench seat.

"Bane attacking us and kicking our collective asses with ease, or him saving us?" Kennedy asked.

"Both."

"Tell me again why he saved us," Dawn said.

"Who cares!" Xander exclaimed. "He did, and we're safe for now."

"As safe as one can get in a minivan being chased through the streets by vampires," Willow conceded.

"Chased by vampires?"

"Yeah, they've been following us since leaving Thirty-third Street," came the calm reply. "Keeping up pretty good, too."

"How?" Faith asked, craning her head to look out the rear window.

"They've got their own cars."

"So why haven't you put on the speed?" Xander asked.

"Because there's no need. We're almost to the freeway exit. Then we'll see some speed."

"Do you think you can lose them?" Buffy asked.

"I can give it the old college try."

Just as Willow uttered those words, three cars came screeching out from side streets. Two of them collided with the minivan. The first to hit smashed into the rear driver's side panel. The minivan swerved, with Willow gripping the steering wheel tightly and trying desperately to keep the van steady. The second car hit the van on the passenger's front panel. The minivan went into an uncontrollable slide. It spun three times, spiraling out, tires squealing. The van crashed driver's side first, into a parked truck and stopped.

There was broken glass everywhere on the street. Inside the minivan, there was shattered glass and dazed looks. There were a few moans of pain. Dawn was in the back, sprawled across the bench seat, unconscious. Her face was plastered with blood that trickled down from a cut somewhere underneath her hair. When Buffy cleared her vision, she saw Dawn.

"Dawn!" She checked for a pulse. "Oh, thank God." She breathed again only when she felt one.

Suddenly, the navigator's door was ripped off. Three pairs of vampire hands reached in and grabbed Kennedy. She put up a small and ineffectual fight in her blood-loss and car crash induced dazed state. She was pulled out of the van and stuffed into one of the vampires' cars.

"Kennedy!" Willow screamed. She moved as if to save her lover, but was too hurt to do anything. She slumped back into her seat with a defeated look. "No. Not Kennedy."

"Okay now, I'm officially pissed off," Buffy said as she entered her house. "I'm missing blood, I'm bruised and banged up, and we've lost Kennedy."

Everyone followed her in. After the vampires took Kennedy, the Scoobies were left alone. They called a cab and went to the hospital. That was not a fun time.

"_Miss Summers?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Your sister has a mild concussion. We had to put seven stitches in her scalp. She's out of any danger of falling into a coma, but we do advise only light activity for the next few days."_

"_Thank you, doctor. Can I take her home?"_

"_Yes. And you? You don't look so good."_

"_I'll be fine, only bruises and scrapes."_

"_That's one hell of a scrape there on your neck." He pointed to Bane's bite marks, "How'd you get that one?"_

"_The same as the others, in the accident." She quickly decided to change the subject, "How're my friends?"_

"_They're all fine. Banged up to different degrees, but nothing too serious. Again, I'd advise no strenuous activity for around a week for any of you."_

"_Thank you, doctor. We'll try to keep that in mind."_

Now, twenty minutes after leaving the hospital, here they were. Fortunately, the time elapsed gave Buffy and Faith enough strength that they could now walk without stumbling. It was a good thing they could, because they were supporting a semi-conscious Dawn between them. Xander and Willow merely staggered into the house behind the two Slayers.

"We didn't lose her. She was taken from us," Xander corrected.

"Right under our noses," Faith added.

"We didn't even fight back!" Willow nearly screamed. The lights in the house flickered. One light bulb popped.

"There was nothing we could do," Buffy said. She looked around the house as the lights acted up. Then concentrated on her friend.

"I should have–"

"Should have, what, Willow?" Faith cut her off. "Got out of the car and passed out from the exertion? Gotten yourself killed? Gotten kidnapped, too?"

"I just can't stand thinking about Kennedy being with all those vampires," Willow said tearfully. "All helpless and weak. They could be doing anything to her. She could be… they could've …"

"I know, Will," Xander broke in before she had to actually state her fear. He hugged her tight. "We'll get her back. We'll find a way."

Buffy and Faith took Dawn upstairs. Xander led Willow to the couch and laid her down.

"Xander?"

"Yeah Will?"

"We're going to get Kennedy back, right?"

"Yes. Just not tonight. We're all tired and hurt. We need to rest. For Kennedy's sake, okay?"

"Okay."

She closed her eyes and was so exhausted she was instantly asleep. Xander sat on one of the recliners and in no time his fatigued body joined his best friend in slumber. Which is how Buffy and Faith found them only minutes later.

"Out cold," Faith pronounced.

"You think?"

"No need to get snotty, B. Just stating the obvious."

"How can they sleep at a time like this? Kennedy's gone, we've got a major bad ass on our hands, things are not going our way."

"Yeah. And if we don't sleep, get recharged, they're going to go even worse."

"You think sleeping is the answer?"

"I'm just saying I'd rather pick where and when I'm falling asleep than conk out 'cause I'm too tired to stand," Faith countered. "Come on, a few zees won't hurt. And we can't help Kennedy if we're too tired to fight."

"Tell me again when you got to be so level-headed."

"About the same time I decided to go to prison," Faith said with a smile. She woke Xander and together they made their way toward the foyer. "We're going to crash at Giles' apartment. You get some sleep, too. We got to be on top if we're going to get Kennedy back and figure out a way to kill Bane."


	5. Part 1 Chapter 4

Chapter IV

Kennedy woke with a splitting headache. Every inch of her body hurt, and her stomach grumbled loudly. She tried sitting, but found herself restrained. Opening her eyes, she saw the outlines of a tunnel. Looking around was out of the question, she was bound tightly and moving was painful.

She was inside the old Rowling Salt mine just outside Cleveland. If she could turn her head, she would see that she was positioned only two yards away from one of the main shafts. It was a vertical drop one hundred feet straight down to where the shaft split into many smaller ones. This junction was the mines' main weak point, causing the Rowling family to shut down this particular mine and move a few miles away. The junction had half a ton of salt just lying there waiting to be claimed, and many more tons throughout the mine itself. No one had figured out a way to safely mine it, though.

Kennedy heard a noise to her right. Moving her head was too painful, so she improvised. Using her back muscles, she launched herself into the air. Midway to the apex of her jump, she twisted. Her body rotated enough so that when she landed, she fell on her right side. She fell with a wince and stifled a groan of pain. Now she could see what made that noise.

Vampires made the noise. Around sixty vampires were sitting, sleeping, joking, and moving around the tunnel. One of them noticed her movement and motioned to another. This vampire was tall and skinny. He approached her.

"Hello Slayer."

"What do you want?"

"Lots of things. Right now, I want to be safe."

"So you've holed up in a cave with a Slayer?" The incredulity was evident in her voice.

"A tightly bound Slayer surrounded by sixty vampires."

"Still, not too bright, what with me being friends to two other Slayers."

"But it's not the Slayers I'm worried about."

"Bane."

"Exactly. Now we have something your friends want."

"Me."

"You're very good at this. Yes, you. And when they come to get you, we'll have something Bane wants."

"All of us Slayers in one place."

"Right," the vampire smiled with glee. "You really are very good at this!"

"Just one problem."

"And that would be what?"

"Bane's much worse than any Slayer. And he's damn near impossible to kill, much less hurt."

"True. Which is why I've taken the necessary steps to make sure we're in an abandoned salt mine."

"Clever." Kennedy pondered the implications that brought up. She realized she was in a hopeless situation if the vampires did somehow use the salt mine to trap Bane. Once done with him, they'd kill her. "Oh, shit!"

"Exactly."

Without a doubt, Willow was the least banged-up person in the living room. Last night's little accident shook her up, but after a good night's sleep, she was fine. Dawn had her mild concussion, and was sitting on one of the chairs, reclining and not moving too fast. Xander's face was one big bruise on his left side. His eye patch was gone; his puffed up skin too swollen to allow it to hang properly.

Buffy and Faith, while being more injured than Willow, due to their encounter with Bane, also had Slayer powers. After a very large breakfast, they were each feeling better.

"Don't know if I'm ready to face Bane, but I'm better than last night when we got home," Faith told Xander when he asked her how she was feeling.

"Just give me about ten years to train and another twenty to strategize, and I'll be ready to face him," Buffy added.

"We don't have that kind of time," Willow said. "We've got to find Kennedy."

"Who was taken by vampires," Xander pointed out. "So we don't even have to worry about Bane, yet. 'Cause our priority is getting Kennedy back."

"So, where are we going to look?" Dawn asked.

"Not we, you can barely stand, with that concussion," Buffy said.

"Fine! Where are you going to look?" Dawn retorted.

"I'm thinking the vampires had a reason to kidnap Kennedy," Faith interrupted the arguing sisters. "And I'm thinking that reason is big, ugly, and talks funny."

"Bane," Xander agreed.

"But why?" Willow asked.

"Well, think about it," Faith answered. "They can't take him on, 'cause he's too powerful. They know we can't, either. They also know that wherever we go, Bane follows. So …"

"So they bring us all to one spot, and that brings Bane to them," Buffy finished.

"Exactly."

"But why?" Xander asked. "I mean, they also know he feeds off them. Bringing Bane to them would be suicide."

"Unless they had a trap or something ready for him," Faith said.

"Still, it's a stretch," Willow said.

"Hey, all I'm saying is it makes sense to me," Faith countered. "Otherwise, why kidnap a Slayer? Why not just kill her and save yourself the trouble?"

"Or kill all three of us and save even more trouble," Buffy stated.

"Okay, so we're still with the problem of where are we going to look?" Willow said.

"Salt," Dawn piped up.

"What?"

"Salt. They've got to be around a lot of salt," Dawn explained. "Like a factory, refinery, or a mine. I mean, they DID kidnap Kennedy, and IF they are setting a trap for us and Bane, it would HAVE to be somewhere with a lot of salt."

"Yeah, 'cause salt makes him weak," Willow added.

"Well, that narrows the search area," Buffy said.

"So we can start looking for them," Willow said. She stood up and began making her way to the door. When no one moved to follow, she turned around.

"What are you waiting for? Let's get moving!"

"Will, I hate to have to say this, but we can't just go barging in there," Buffy said gently.

"Why not?"

"Because they'll be expecting us," Faith pointed out.

"So we're just going to leave her there?"

"No, we're going to get her out," Buffy assured her. "We just have to figure out how."

"Well, we can't figure that out until we find out where she is."

"Will, we're all worried about her, too," Xander said.

"Oh really? I can so tell by the concern I'm feeling, here."

"Hey! We're only trying to keep her alive by not getting killed ourselves!" Faith snapped.

Willow looked defiantly at Faith, who gave her the same look in return. After a few tense moments, Willow deflated and sat down in defeat. The room plunged into awkward silence.

"Um … I don't want to be the party pooper," Xander broke the silence. "But if we do … I mean, when we do find Kennedy, if the vampires have set a trap, Bane will come. I mean he came last night."

"So we got about a hundred vamps and Bane to worry about," Faith said. "Great."

"Well, the one bright spot in all this is that Bane can be killed," Dawn said. "I mean, it's not easy, but it can be done."

"The only way is sunlight. But that's never worked," Willow added.

"Obviously, since he's still here," Faith said.

"No, several Slayers have tried to get him trapped where sunlight would shine on him," Willow explained. "Each time he broke out and they ended up dead."

"Where did you find that?" Buffy asked.

Willow looked to Dawn. She was sitting up more now, so she could join the conversation. She blushed.

"I kind of had the _Chronology of Vampires, Volume 12_ up in my room."

"What was it doing up there?" Buffy asked. She held up her hand to forestall her sister. "You know what? Never mind. What did it have?"

"Nothing about his creation, but it did have accounts of his run-ins with Slayers."

"That's where you found out about Slayers trying to trap him?" Xander asked.

"Yeah. Along with some other nasty bits of history."

"Such as?" Faith demanded.

"We don't need to go into details," Dawn hemmed.

"Such as?" Buffy demanded as well.

"Well, there's this story about a vampire Lord who ordered Bane to kill Slayers ceaselessly until either the Lord died or took the order back."

"Ceaselessly?" Faith asked.

It was Willow's turn to answer. "His sensing ability went into over-drive. He tracked down a Slayer, killed her without even letting her fight, and went on to the next. He never rested, always moving through tunnels and caves."

"So what happened?" Buffy asked. Her face was twisted into repulsion. She had to know, but did not want to find out.

"For forty years Bane went after Slayers this way," Dawn answered. "He was tireless, because of the order of a vampire Lord, that's how powerful their hold on him was. He would kill one and immediately move onto the next one. It said that most of the time, he'd get to the Slayer before she even knew she'd been called."

"Like he sensed them or something before they even knew what they were," Willow cut in.

"Yeah. It was bad," Dawn finished. "I mean, this was a long time ago, before mass transportation and he still got around the world quickly and did a lot of damage. And the time period was only forty years."

"That was how many years between when the vampire Lord ordered him to do it and when that Lord got dusted," Willow added.

"How much damage?" Faith asked.

"This was before records were very accurate," Willow hedged.

"How many Slayers did he kill?"

"About one hundred."

"One hundred?" Xander was shocked.

"And that's a conservative guess," Dawn said.

"And only in that one forty years. He's been alive a lot longer than that," Buffy said. Her voice was grim. "It's what he was designed for. It does make sense."

"So what chance do we got?" Faith asked.

"What about a bazooka?" Xander wondered. "I mean, if Bane does show up to where ever this trap is set, let's just blow him up."

"Xander, that won't work," Dawn pointed out.

"Not very practical, Xand," Willow said.

"Yeah, but maybe we could bury him in enough salt by blowing up where ever we end up that he can't get out."

There was a knock at the front door. Buffy got up to answer it, leaving Xander to argue his impractical plan. She heard Faith say something about trapping them with Bane, and then Buffy was at the door.

"Buffy Summers?" The man asked. He was wearing some kind of uniform with a logo of a winged package on the left breast pocket of his coat. His hat, coat and pants all matched.

"Yeah."

"Sign here please."

Buffy did. He pulled out a small envelope and handed it to her. He stepped back and grabbed the bill to his hat. He looked like he was trying to pull his head forward using his cap. That's when Buffy realized he was tipping his hat to her.

"Have a nice day."

"You too."

She turned while shutting the door. She examined the letter. No postmark. The delivery service was for the metro Cleveland area; she gathered that from the information on the man's uniform. She opened the letter.

_Slayers,_

_We have the other Slayer at the Rowling Salt Mine. Come after sundown or she dies._

She gave the vampires credit. They knew she was a Slayer. Other than that, they were pretty stupid. Now they could devise a plan. She walked back into the living room.

"All right, I know where Kennedy is," she announced. This cut off all conversation.

"Where?"

"The Rowling Salt Mine."

"How do you know?"

"Got a letter from the vampires."

"That's convenient," Xander quipped.

"I know," Buffy said. "Willow, how about we get some information on this mine and figure out a way to get Kennedy out of there without getting us all killed?"

"Sounds good to me."

When night fell the vampires began to stir. Lights were brought into the tunnel. There were propane and battery powered lights, as well as torches. The large circular walls and ceiling were lit quite well with all the illumination provided by the vampires.

Kennedy spent most of the day sleeping fitfully. Even though that skinny vampire, the one everyone called Dale, told her he was using her as bait and did not plan on killing her, it was hard to be anything but nervous surrounded by so many vampires.

Her discomfort was also due to the way she was trussed up. Her arms were tied behind her back, with a cord leading down to her feet. Her legs were bent and her back bowed from the shortness of the ropes tying her up. The cords around her ankles and wrists were tight and cut into her skin. The salt caking the tunnel grated on her skin, rubbing it raw.

She was cramped, chafed, sore, and her bladder hurt from not being able to urinate. Halfway through the day, Kennedy was moved to sit with her back against a wall.

As the lights came on, Kennedy got a good look around. The tunnel was bigger than she thought, about ten feet from the floor to the curved ceiling and maybe twelve feet across from one curved wall to the other. Broken kerosene lamps hung from wooden support beams along the ceiling. Every fifteen feet there were wooden braces along the walls.

"So, what's the plan?" She asked loudly as Dale came into her line of sight. "You just going to hope Bane comes along to get me? Sorry to disappoint you, but he doesn't think that highly of me. I mean, he doesn't even think I'm worth killing."

"True," Dale admitted as he stepped closer to Kennedy. "But with three Slayers here, he'll show."

"Right. And my friends are just going to stumble across this old abandoned salt mine. This is salt, right?" Kennedy motioned with her head to the crystallized salt around them.

"Yes it is," Dale said. He was obviously pleased with Kennedy. "You're very smart, for a Slayer."

"Thanks."

"Your friends will come here because I told them where we are."

"You're pretty dumb, for a vampire."

Dale only snorted and smiled even broader. It was now Kennedy's turn to snort.

"You think my friends won't come prepared?" She shook her head, "You are so going to die."

"What can your friends do against one hundred vampires, but die?"

"Well, if they do come into what's obviously a trap, they'll take a lot of you with them."

Dale smiled at her as he stood. He turned his back on Kennedy and walked away, "I don't think that's going to happen."

Buffy and Faith led Xander, Willow and Dawn to the entrance of the Rowling Salt Mine. Dawn wheedled her way into coming by saying she was fine and they needed everyone available. Buffy grudgingly agreed when she realized the younger Summers would just follow them, anyway. Buffy was not happy with the situation, but she accepted it. Now they were marching to the mouth of the mine. The two sentries at the road let them through without any hassle.

"Getting in's easy," Xander said.

"Getting out's gonna be hard," Faith finished for him. She looked at Buffy, "You ready for this, B?"

"Yeah. You guys?"

Everyone murmured yes and they continued on their way.

To the casual observer, it might look like they were walking stiffly with fear. In fact, they were walking stiffly with a small arsenal strapped to each person. They had crosses and stakes. Each person had his or her own personal favorite sharp weapon. Buffy had the Slayer's scythe. Faith had two long bladed knives. Xander had a broadsword strapped to his back. Dawn had a miniature ax and Willow had a short sword.

None of these weapons were a good reason to make them walk so stiffly. Taking up on Dawn's idea from the previous night, the Scoobies raided a nearby Catholic church, St Dominic's. They took all the holy water and filled as many water balloons as possible. Now they walked with the balloons sloshing, trying to hide their presence and keep them from breaking.

"Are we sure about this?" Willow whispered.

"No, but do you want to leave Kennedy here?" Faith replied just as low.

"These holy water balloons'll be like grenades to the vampires," Dawn said for the fourth time tonight. "They'll balance the fight in our favor."

"Right," Willow breathed. "Now, we just have to live through this."

"That's the spirit!" Xander said as they entered the mine.

One hundred vampires, all in game face and growling, can be an intimidating sight. Not as bad as hundreds of ubervamps, but still intimidating. All of them were standing, ready to pounce. And there, way in the back, just visible, sat Kennedy. She looked miserable all tied up. Her skin looked raw and cracked. When she saw them, her face lit up and she began to struggle in her bonds.

Tension hung in the air for several minutes. The Scoobies eyed the vampires, who eyed the Scoobies. The vampires thought the Slayers and their friends would come quietly. One look at them proved that theory wrong. They were here to fight, their eyes told that clear enough. The entire reason the vampires agreed to this crazy idea was so they would not have to die at the hands of Bane. Now, they had to contend with two Slayers and three humans, all of them willing to fight. What their captured Slayer said earlier today was coming back to their minds. Many of them were going to die.

No one moved.

Bane dispatched of the last sentry and looked up. The mouth to the mining facility was merely a stone's throw away. He could feel the Slayers and the lesser vampires – so many, in such a concentrated area – and the salt, which made this entire situation interesting. Obviously, someone did some research on him, found one of the few books left that mentioned him.

With a wicked smile, Bane strode toward the mine. These lesser vampires had no idea the forces they were dealing with. There was only one threat in the entire world Bane considered worthy of pause, and she was not here.

The tension broke. The peace shattered. Buffy and Faith each took off their long overcoats and tossed them to their friends. The coats were lined with water balloons filled with holy water.

Faith had three-dozen water balloons tied to her body. She unsheathed her two knives. The two steel blades glinted wickedly in the light. With a wordless roar, she leaped into the midst of the vampires. While in the air she twisted, flipped, and spun. Her hands moved in a blur, her knives slicing and popping open all the balloons on her. The water flew from her rotating body, landing on vampires, who reared back, scorched from the contact.

Buffy brandished the Slayer's scythe and leapt into the mass of vampires when Faith's jump was done. The two Slayers began dusting vampires, Faith decapitating them with her knives, Buffy staking and beheading them with the scythe. Xander, Dawn, and Willow gave them support by chucking the water balloons from the Slayers' coats into the crowded vampires. When that source was depleted, they switched to using the water balloons secured to themselves. When those were gone, they had stakes and their own bladed weapons.

The fight was short. Before long the holy water balloons were all used up and everyone was fighting hand-to-hand. Only half the vampires remained, the rest either dust or fled.

Dale was hovering near the back, his plans dying along with his army. With the threat of Bane, he thought he could bring all the vampires in Cleveland under his command. Now, most of the vampires in Cleveland were going to end up dead. And the survivors would all blame him.

Those were his last thoughts, because Kennedy was loose and tore his head off with her bare hands. While everyone else in the tunnel was locked in battle, Kennedy was busy with her bindings. After dislocating her shoulder and contorting herself, she was able to get free. She re-aligned her shoulder quickly. Discarding the nylon ropes, she made a beeline for Dale while the other two Slayers decimated the vampires.

Dale's body crumbled into ash and Kennedy stepped past where his remains marred the white lining of the tunnel's floor. She batted away vampires and made her way to Willow.

"Kennedy!" Willow exclaimed. She tried to hug her girlfriend, but was forced back by an arm to her chest.

"Not now," Kennedy replied. She took two of Willow's stakes. "We've got a vampire problem."

The three Slayers were just getting into the rhythm of slaying. Buffy twirled the scythe, the blade and the blonde a whirlwind of destruction. Faith spun and stabbed, sliced and hacked with her two wicked long-bladed knives. Kennedy jumped in, stabbing vampires through the heart with her two stakes at an incredible speed.

The dust clouds erupting in the mine began to make a thick cloud of ash. The Slayers danced a deadly dance and where they trod, vampires died. Then Bane decided to add to the music of the dance.

He strode purposefully into the mine and began beheading vampires with a flick of his wrist. He smiled in delight as he tipped the balance of the battle in favor of the humans. He had not had this much fun in centuries. Actually, he never felt this kind of joy, this rush of excitement, ever. Savoring the experience, Bane lost himself in the fight.

Bane tore off the head of a vampire and stepped back while it exploded. He bumped into someone. He turned around and saw the shorter of the two brunette Slayers. She gazed up at him, her eyes full of terror and her face flat and empty. She was one of those Slayers that would never be able to fight him, no matter how many times they met.

_Pity, she is quite the accomplished fighter when dealing with lesser vampires_, he thought. _And I had such high hopes for the three of them_.

Buffy chanced a look around. Xander was fending off three vampires. As she watched, he beheaded one. Willow and Dawn were standing back-to-back. Each wore a determined grimace as she wielded her weapon. Faith was slowing down now that the mine was not as full. She kicked a vampire and it went flying backward. Faith jumped to follow.

Buffy spotted Kennedy as the younger woman turned to look at Bane. Buffy saw her freeze and knew the fright that must be running through her mind. Buffy dusted the vampire she was fighting and ran to Kennedy.

With a blood-curdling scream, Buffy launched herself at Bane, the Slayer's scythe seeking her enemy. Bane dodged the blade a few times and blocked Buffy.

Buffy's scream snapped Kennedy out of her stupor. Her entire body shivered violently and she looked around. Seeing Buffy engaging Bane, she moved to help.

Jumping, Buffy kicked Bane in the face. He was pushed back. Buffy jumped again. Bane easily blocked her kick. But that was not the point of the jump. As she descended, Buffy brought the scythe down in a sweeping arc. The blade cut into Bane's left shoulder, cutting all the way down until the scythe was imbedded totally in Bane's torso, his clavicle cleaved in two.

Bane grabbed the weapon with his left hand and backhanded Buffy with his right. She went flying up into one of the wooden support beams on the ceiling. She hit with an audible crack, and fell with a painful thud to the floor. The wooden beam groaned as the earth above it began to shift.

Faith looked to the noise and saw Buffy fall. She finished with the vampires she was engaged with and went to her downed friend. The rest of the vampires in the mine looked, and seeing Bane, ran out as fast as they could.

"You okay, B?"

"Been better. Help Kennedy."

Faith looked and saw the younger Slayer fighting Bane. Kennedy was making up for her earlier fear. She spun, kicked, and hit Bane in rapid succession. She stabbed him with her stakes, her arms moving back and forth to plunge and retract the wooden implements like pistons in high gear.

The Slayer's scythe was still imbedded deep within Bane's left shoulder, Kennedy not giving him a chance to remove it. White blood flowed down his torso, staining his gray robe and splattering all over Kennedy as she attacked. Her face was dotted with great splotches of white and her arms up to her elbows were slicked with Bane's blood.

Faith reached Bane just as he broke through Kennedy's defenses and sent her reeling away with a powerful jab to her jaw. Bane put his right hand on the scythe's handle and was beginning to pull it out of his shoulder. He turned away from Kennedy and was greeted by a jumping kick to his face. His right hand flew from the scythe and he looked at his newest threat. Faith stood before him, brandishing her weapons.

"Let's see what you got."

"Child, you have no idea what I have."

"I'm willing to find out."

In answer, Bane turned and punched through the wooden beam along the wall. It easily broke into two pieces. Bane grabbed the longer shaft of wood and turned back to Faith.

"I know what you are capable of. No matter what powers you have, no matter how many Slayers there may be on the Earth at this moment, I have darker powers."

"Ooh. Can we just fight?"

"You cannot defeat me. It is foolish to attempt to."

"Then I'm a fool."

"We all are," Kennedy said with a shaking voice, as she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Faith.

"All three of us," Buffy added when she joined them. "And we kind of have to fight you. It's in the job description."

"Very well," Bane said.

He swung the beam in his hands. The Slayers dodged. Faith jumped back, Kennedy ducked and rolled forward, and Buffy jumped up to grab one of the ceiling support beams. Kennedy shoved a stake into each of Bane's kneecaps. He grunted, but otherwise, showed no sign of reaction to the attack other than looking down at Kennedy. Faith dropped her knives and yanked the beam out of Bane's hand. Buffy swung forward on the support and kicked Bane in the face with both feet. He was driven backwards, towards the mine's main shaft.

As Buffy reached the pinnacle of her forward momentum, the support beam broke in two. She fell on her back with a grunt of pain. The beam landed to either side of her and dirt and salt fell on her. She sat, sputtering and shaking her head to clear her eyes of the salt and earth. Kennedy and Faith helped her to her feet.

Bane took the time given him by the Slayers' distraction with the welfare of each other to pull the scythe out of his body. The blade was covered with his blood; it even coated the handle. Bane felt weak and dizzy. So much salt so near made his senses hum. This weapon was a Slayer's, forged to fight evil such as him. The combination made him woozy. He threw the scythe away. It flew, spinning until it hit one of the support beams by the entrance, cutting it in two. The beam fell.

Buffy leaned down and picked up one of the peaces of the ceiling support beam. Kennedy followed suit. The mine began to tremble.

"So you're supposed to be all big and bad?" Buffy asked. "You don't seem that tough to me."

"That is because you are a fool," Bane replied. "You admitted as much."

"So we did," Kennedy said. "But you don't scare me, anymore."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Believe this!" Faith screamed.

As one, the three Slayers charged Bane. They held the beams in front of them, the broken ends aimed at him. Bane managed to swat aside Kennedy and Faith's, but Buffy's plowed into him. The pointed wood pierced his torso and entered his chest.

Buffy stood with her feet firmly planted and grabbed the end of the beam. With a heave, she shoved the beam further into Bane. He gaped at her.

"That will not affect me."

He put his hands around the beam in his chest. He began to pull it out, over-powering Buffy, only to have Kennedy and Faith thrust their beams into him as well.

"Not the point," Buffy said.

She looked to her fellow Slayers. They nodded once and lifted Bane using the beams. Quickly, they moved to the main shaft.

"Big and invincible, huh?" Kennedy asked.

"Not so impressive, really," Faith added. "You're nothing compared to the First."

They reached the opening. Bane stopped struggling to look at them with curiosity.

"You should have seen what I did to a hellgod," Buffy said. "There's no way you were going to win against three Slayers."

"You're just another vampire to us," Faith said.

"Everything does not go exactly as planned everyday," Bane replied.

"Well, this is one of those days when enough went right for us to get rid of you," Buffy said.

Without another word, the three Slayers released the lumber they were holding. Bane fell into the shaft. They watched him fall.

"Buffy! Faith! Kennedy!" Dawn's screech brought them out of their collective reverie.

The mine was caving in around them. The abuse taken by the support beams was too much. Willow, Xander and Dawn stood at the entrance, watching apprehensively. The Slayers sprinted out, dodging rocks, beams, and running dirt falling from the ceiling. They reached the other three and got out of the mine.

The sun was peaking out over the horizon when the last tremble of the Earth was felt. The mine had not collapsed just as they left, but it was close. The Scoobies stood watching, from a safe distance, in fascination as the mine fell in on itself.

Willow stood with her arms wrapped around Kennedy. The younger woman was exhausted. No food, no water, blood loss, and being trussed up for all of yesterday were catching up to her. She leaned back into Willow for support. Nonetheless, a contented smile graced her lips as she witnessed the Rowling Salt Mine seal itself shut.

Xander and Faith stood holding hands. Xander had the forethought to pick up Faith's daggers when she dropped them in her fight with Bane. He gave them back to her and she smiled with thanks. After tucking the knives back into their sheaths, she gave Xander a long kiss. When done, she turned and watched the mine fall. She let Xander snake his hand around hers. She was smiling now, partly from the victory they just won, partly because of Xander's actions.

Dawn had Buffy's arm draped over her shoulder as the Summers sisters supported each other. Buffy really did not feel too bad, only bruised all over and very sore where her back collided with that beam in the ceiling. She let Dawn support her; though, as she leaned in to keep her younger sibling standing. Dawn would never admit it, but she was barely able to stand. Fighting with a mild concussion could not be a fun time.

"Well, it's over. We won," Willow said.

"We beat Bane," Kennedy stated.

"First Slayers in history to walk away unscathed," Faith said.

"Well, I wouldn't say totally unscathed," Xander corrected, running a finger lightly over Faith's neck wounds.

"Whatever. The point is, we won. We're alive and he's buried in salt."

"No getting out of there," Dawn said.

"Chalk one more up for the good guys," Xander laughed.

"Today was one hell of a day," Buffy said. "But it ended well. For us, anyway."

Everyone smiled bigger than they were before. They turned and made their way to the road, where Xander's truck and Willow's car were parked.

"I'm beat. What say we just don't do anything for the next thirty weeks?" Buffy asked.

"Sounds like a plan," Faith said.

"I know, how about ice cream?" Willow asked.

"I was thinking more about real food," Kennedy said. "And then a bath, followed by sleep."

"That sounds like something I could do," Buffy agreed.

"So where to?" Xander asked.

"Home," All the girls said at once.

Bane lay at the bottom of main shaft of the Rowling Salt Mine. He was partially covered with salt. The impact of his fall sent salt flying into the air, only to fall back on top of him. Two of the support beams the Slayers jammed into him were lying next to him. He was able to pull them out during his fall. The third remained stuck through him.

The amount of salt surrounding him, underneath him, and around him sapped all his strength. Everything he worked for in the past two days, the level of power not felt for over three centuries, gone. Salt entered his body through the holes in his body and the gaping wound in his shoulder. The salt was absorbed by his blood, which weakened him further.

There was no way out of this tomb for Bane. He knew it.

In his weakened state, it would take a long time for these wounds to heal. They would, but not sufficiently for what lay ahead. If the Slayers only knew … but they did not. Soon, they would meet the only thing in the world Bane feared. His fear now was that he would not be strong enough for what lay ahead.

Even with his strength leaving him, Bane began to plan. Knowing how his enemies fought, he devised ways to counter them, if they ever met again. One thing his long life taught him, it was that he would survive this. There was no sunlight down here, only salt and darkness. One was his enemy, the other his oldest friend. He would arise from this wretched place. When he did, he would be ready for every possible threat to his freedom.

His time would come. Oh yes, his time would most definitely come.


	6. Part 2 Chapter 1

Part 2

Mistress, My Mistress 

Chapter I

The building was old and abandoned. All the windows were bordered up. There was even a large sewer entrance in the massive basement. It was an old mental hospital in a now run-down part of Cleveland. For the vampires inhabiting it, this building was perfect.

There were exactly forty vampires housed within the old Marcincko Hospital. All of them were Master vampires. They were all strong, fast, incredibly hard to kill, and had varying powers of hypnotism and suggestion. If they sired any children, they would have a stronger hold on them than other vampires would. These Master vampires had no children, though. That was unusual. Adding to the unusualness of the situation was the fact so many Master vampires were actually together. In most cases, Master vampires stayed away from each other, sticking to their own territory. They would meet and exchange formalities and pleasantries, but never stay together.

But together these forty vampires stayed. They did so because of Her. She was the most powerful vampire on Earth. She held sway over all of them. She was the last remaining Old One. She was the Mistress, and they were her family.

Inside the throne room of the Mistress, all the vampires were gathered in a semi-circle. A small lamp in one corner gave off the only light. The throne in the center of the room was the focal point of all the vampires.

On the left side of the throne was a stack of books, newly unpacked. On top was _Blood Transfusions: Techniques and Practices_. On the right side of the throne stood an I.V. tree. The bag suspended from the tree was full of blood. The line to the bag snaked down to a large needle stuck into a nearly transparent white arm.

The arm belonged to the Mistress. Her entire body was beyond deathly pale. Her hands were clawed, the digits rough with scales and tipped with wickedly hooked nails, like a lizard's. She had no legs, her waist down being a tail. Her hair was long, black and luxuriant. Her face was bumpy, like all vampires, but the ridges just above her eyes veered up to points, like horns nestled just above her eye sockets.

She motioned with her right hand. A vampire who was standing behind her throne took out the needle and began to close the blood bag. All the vampires began to murmur as if chanting.

When the vampire by the throne was done, he placed the bag in metal cooler. Two more vampires took the cooler out of the room. The Mistress nodded to the vampire on her right. He stepped back to his place behind her throne, a smile on his face.

"Is all ready?" she asked. For such a hideous looking creature, her voice was smooth and gentle. Silk sliding along satin would best describe her voice.

"Yes, Mistress."

"Cedric, I charge you with this mission. Take Lucinda and Horace with you."

"Yes Mistress." Cedric turned and began to walk out of the room. Horace and Lucinda, the other two vampires named, followed him.

"Do not fail me."

"No, Mistress," Cedric said.

"I know you shall not," she said with a smile. Her canines were each three inches long. The rest of her teeth were small, almost non-existent. "You have not failed me yet."

"We aim to please," Horace said.

"Please me again, then. When you return, we shall have the last piece we need."

The three vampires bowed and left. The Mistress looked over to the left end of the semi-circle.

"Kesia, bring me my next child."

"Are you sure, Mistress?"

"Kesia, bring me my next child," the Mistress insisted.

Kesia turned and left the room. She came back moments later, leading a group of four vampires. The vampires had a captive, a small young woman. Still, each vampire had both hands on her. One vampire had each arm, and the other two had her by the shoulders.

"Well, bring her here."

They did. When the girl saw the Mistress, she began to struggle. Kicking out, she twisted her torso and yanked on her arms as hard as she could. The Mistress let out an exaggerated patient sigh.

"Do stop struggling, child. What can you possibly hope to accomplish, even if you do get free of the four vampires holding you? They are the strongest of my children and among the best fighters in my family. What would be the point?"

"The point would be that I'm fighting."

"Even so, and even though you are a Slayer, how can you possibly hope to gain freedom when surrounded by so many vampires?"

"I've been in bad situations before, in worse vampire nests."

"Ah, but have you ever faced a nest of forty Master vampires? And the last remaining Old One?"

The girl's mouth worked soundlessly. She looked like a fish out of water. When the vampires began to drag her toward the Mistress, she found her voice.

"No way! Not possible! You can't be an Old One!"

"I assure you, I am. How else could I be this disfigured?"

"Really bad genetics?"

The Mistress tipped her head back and laughed. When her head returned to normal position, the girl was standing right in front of her.

"What's your name, child?"

"None of you Goddamned business!"

"No matter, we will find out soon enough."

The Mistress "stood." She uncoiled her tail, placing the tip on the floor. With a liquid grace, she levered her torso off the throne using her tail. Grabbing the girl, she tilted her head, exposing her neck. Baring those incredibly long fangs, the Mistress bit hard.

Soon the girl was drained enough. The Mistress withdrew her mouth and used her claws to open her own wrist. She brought the Slayer's mouth to her wrist and the girl eagerly gulped down the life-fluid offered her. When she had drank enough, the Mistress let go of her.

"Lay her down. See that she get a cooler upon waking."

The four vampires that brought her in nodded and took the girl out of the room. Kesia followed them, to see to the arrangements. The Mistress looked around the room.

"The Slayer shall be mine," she intoned.

"Yes, Mistress," the assembled group replied as by rote.

"The world shall be weakened," her voice grew in intensity.

"Yes, Mistress," their voices matched hers.

"We shall feast!"

"Yes, Mistress!"

"I shall bring forth death!"

"Yes, Mistress!"

"The hellmouth will open!"

"Yes, Mistress!"

"And the Old Ones shall walk again!" She was yelling by now.

"Yes, Mistress!" Her children were fevered.

"Amen," the Mistress' voice was conversational once again.

"Amen," the group echoed in the same tone.

She smiled. With extremely elongated fangs, and miniature teeth, her smile was unnerving to those who had never seen it before.

"So be it," she whispered to herself. "The prophecy will be fulfilled in my terms."

Buffy, Faith and Kennedy were bored. Ever since burying Bane inside the Rowling Salt Mine, they had little to do. Oh sure, there was the occasional demon to hunt down and kill, but their everyday patrols were uneventful. There still were vampires in Cleveland, but they were either hiding or so scarce that none of the Slayers could find them.

So it was now five weeks running with hardly any vampire activity. The two weeks before Bane arrived, and the three weeks following his burial. All three Slayers hated the fact they were traipsing around Cleveland in the cold of the night without anything to show for it.

"Hell, even blood stains would be something," Faith mumbled to herself.

She was in a graveyard, playing with a stake idly as she walked listlessly through the tombstones. This was one of the bigger cemeteries in Cleveland, covering miles and miles of property. If there were vampires anywhere, this would be the place to find them. That was what she was hoping when she came here, two hours ago. By now she had traversed the length and breadth of this cemetery and seen neither hide nor hair of any vampires.

She spotted Kennedy coming towards her. Faith's smile was small, but genuine. For some reason not even she and Kennedy understood, they had never gotten along. They had always been at each other's throats. Making snide comments, rude gestures, or out and out insults when in each other's company. That was before Bane.

Now the two were friendly, if not friends. Their barbs turned to harmless jokes. They went patrolling together sometimes, and even ended up sitting together and talking until morning several times.

Kennedy saw Faith and waved. Faith raised her hand to return the gesture, but stopped. Something was moving up behind Kennedy, and she was unaware of it. Faith turned her wave into a signal for Kennedy to turn around. Either she was too far to see it, or did not interpret the hand motion correctly, because Kennedy kept her pace and attention identical to before, on what lay in front and not behind.

Before Faith could shout a warning, Kennedy was overtaken by whatever was coming up behind her. The younger Slayer was tackled to the ground, a surprised yelp coming from her. Faith burst into a run.

Kennedy twisted on the ground, trying to gain leverage to get whatever was on her, off. She felt hands grab her by the hair and roughly smash her head into the ground. Once, twice, three times.

Faith reached the pair and threw whatever was on top of Kennedy across the open space of the graveyard. It hit a large headstone, rolled over the top, and fell to the ground. Faith stooped down and helped Kennedy up. The younger woman rubbed her hands across her face, clearing dirt off. She spit a few times to clean her mouth.

"What the hell was that?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Funny, two Slayers not knowing a vampire when they see one."

The voice came from behind the headstone the creature fell behind. It stood. Faith and Kennedy caught a clear sight of him. He was tall, with the clean-lined body of an athlete. His face was contorted into a vampire's visage: bumps and ridges on the forehead, yellowish green eyes, and long pointed teeth. He nimbly stepped from behind the gravestone.

"Well, now that we see you, yeah, a vampire," Faith admitted.

"So let's see, two Slayers, one vampire. The odds are not in your favor, here," Kennedy said.

The vampire snorted out a laugh, "This should be interesting, at least. I haven't faced a Slayer in a long time. It seems that the hellmouth here in Cleveland attracts them like it does demons. Two Slayers at once ought to be challenging."

"Challenging?" Faith asked, looking at Kennedy. "More like killing."

"I'm all ready dead."

"Dusting, then," Kennedy retorted.

The vampire shrugged and stepped toward the two women. They reacted by taking up defensive postures. He smiled, his eyes twinkling.

"This is going to be so much fun!" He clapped his hands together in eager anticipation. "By the way, my name's Henry, I'll be the one killing you today."

"Ooh, he's feisty," Faith said with a smirk.

"I like it. Too bad we have to dust him," Kennedy added with a smirk of her own.

Henry replied with a savage growl and launched himself at them. Nearing them, he lashed out with both arms, his hands connecting with each Slayer's jaw. Kennedy stumbled back and Faith tripped over a short tombstone from the force of impact.

Henry landed with grace and turned in a flash. A kick to Faith's head sent the Slayer tumbling until she crashed into another headstone. Kennedy received a quick shot to her ribs, followed by a jumping roundhouse kick to the face. She fell back against the wall to a large mausoleum.

Henry closed the distance between them and began laying into Kennedy. A punch to the gut, an elbow to the face, spin and knee the ribs, the assault was fast and furious. Kennedy never had a chance to block him, he moved so fast.

Faith landed a kick that separated Henry from Kennedy. He turned and engaged the older Slayer. Faith kicked, Henry blocked. Faith punched, Henry dodged and hit her with his own fist. Faith moved, Henry countered. And he was smiling the entire time.

"Oh, this is wonderful! I've forgotten how fun fighting a Slayer can be!"

Faith gritted her teeth in frustration. She was attacking him with all she had, and he was having a good time!

"You are going to die in such a big way."

Henry only laughed and brought the heel of his hand into her jaw. Faith's head snapped back. She heard a few vertebrae in her neck pop. Stars exploded in her vision. Colors danced across her eyes. Damn, but that hurt.

Faith brought her head down to see Henry fighting Kennedy. The girl was fast, her training shining through. But Henry was quicksilver. If Kennedy moved left, he moved right. If she feinted, he attacked. If she attacked, he dodged. He was poetry in motion. And this was beginning to get old, fast.

Faith joined Kennedy, only she attacked from behind. She managed to get in a hit this way. When Henry turned to retaliate, Kennedy was able to kick him in the head. Henry spun and rolled out from between the two Slayers. When he stood, he was facing both of them.

"That's better."

The fight resumed. Henry moved between the two Slayers like water through rocks. When one attacked, he blocked while landing a hit on the other. He flowed between the two young women, alternating from attack to defend, warding off and hurting them at the same time.

"Screw this!" Faith said through gritted teeth.

She dove for Henry. He jumped, and instead of Faith tackling him full on, she grabbed him around the knees. They fell to the ground, Henry cuffing Faith with both hands to either side of her head. She felt like a bomb went off in her head. She let go of Henry and instinctively put her hands to her head. Henry rolled away.

And was met with a stake lodging itself in his chest. He looked down in amazement and wonder. He glanced up and looked at Kennedy, who was watching with a satisfied smile on her face. Henry stood and took the stake out of his chest.

"Sorry, little one, no good on me."

"Not another Bane," Kennedy whined.

"Bane?" Henry asked. "You know Bane?"

"Who doesn't?" Faith asked as she stood, a wince of pain crossing her features momentarily.

"Everyone doesn't," Henry replied. "At least they haven't for two centuries."

"Well, we know," Faith said.

"Yeah, we ran into him."

"And yet you live."

"Duh. He was outnumbered," Kennedy said.

"And buried him in salt," Faith added.

A thoughtful look crossed Henry's face. With surprising suddenness he turned and bolted. Faith and Kennedy began to chase him. But, as with his fighting, his running was fast beyond reason.

"What was that all about?" Faith asked.

"Don't know. Don't care," Kennedy replied. "I want to know why he didn't dust when I staked him."

Faith began to make her way out of the graveyard. Kennedy followed suit. They each walked stiffly.

"Maybe he's a Master vampire," Faith offered. "I once dusted a big daddy vamp who needed a whole four-by-four shoved through him."

"Was that…"

"Kakistos? Yeah. So maybe that's the deal with that Henry guy."

"Let's hope so. Then all we have to do is give him bigger wood."

Faith cracked a smile, "You did not just say that."

Kennedy giggled when she realized how her statement sounded.

"Those are some bruises you got, there," Xander said from the bathroom doorway.

Faith stood, her back to him. Her sides were black and blue, stretching all the way around, tingeing her back. The backs of her legs were several different shades of several different colors.

"Courtesy of our new Master vampire," Faith said. She was just getting ready for a shower when Xander opened the door to check in on her. Maybe it was just to get a good look at her naked body. She smiled, that was the way men were. Xander was no exception.

"You okay?"

"Nothing a good scrub and a good lay won't fix."

"Well, I can help with both those, actually."

Faith smiled, but still did not look at him, "I know."

Smiling hurt her lips, split open the cuts on them, but she could not help it. Xander was just so cute. She did not remember when she got to the point in her life where she could honestly think of a man as cute and adorable, not just as a cock to satisfy her needs. But that was Xander. Weird how one year could change your life.

She turned and he took an anguished breath. She nodded understanding.

"Right there with you," she said.

Faith's face was worse than her sides and legs. Both eyes were black; threatening to puff out so bad she would not be able to see out of them. She had a cut under her left eye socket and another long vertical gash down her right cheek from ear to jaw line. Her jaw was bruised in three different places. Her ears stopped bleeding before she left the cemetery, but there was still dried blood trailed on her neck.

"Jesus, Faith, what happened?"

"I told you, I met a Master vampire. Or at least, I'm pretty sure he's a Master vampire. It explains a lot."

"Like why your face looks like a punching bag?"

"Among other things."

"Well, I'm glad you won." She shrugged and looked a little uncomfortable. Xander gaped at her. "You did win, right?"

"He ran away, does that count?"

"He ran away? 'Cause he was scared to take you on?"

"No, he ran away 'cause of something me and Kennedy said to him."

"Kennedy was there, too?"

"Yes," a dangerous edge crept into Faith's voice.

"What did you two tell him that made him run? Put the scare of two Slayers in him after he was done kicking your ass?"

"Xander, I'm standing here naked and hurt. The last thing you want to do is remind me of my humiliation at the hands of a vampire."

Xander held up his hands in defeat, "Just kidding. Seriously, are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?"

"No, you don't."

"I'll be fine. Just give me a few days." She got into the shower and turned the water on. "And help with washing my back."

"Okay, that I can do," Xander began to discard his clothing. When he entered the shower, he smiled mischievously. "I can help you out with the good scrubbing, but I don't know about a good lay. I don't know if I could."

Faith turned to look at him. Seeing the smile on his face and in his eyes, she playfully smacked his arm.

"Come on, I don't have all night. I'd like to sleep sometime, you know."

"So then what, he just bolted?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Kennedy was finishing up her narrative of last night's events. She was sitting in her living room, Buffy and Willow with her. As bad as Faith was beat-up, Kennedy had received a worse beating. Thankfully, she had Slayer healing and most of her bruises were already healing. They were still an ugly yellowish brown, but that meant they would be gone soon.

Whereas Faith had multiple bruises and wounds on her face, Kennedy's face seemed to be one huge bruise. There was no line of demarcation. All the bruising and cuts looked as if they were one. When she moved too suddenly, she winced in pain.

"You don't look so hot," Buffy said.

"Well, I won't win any beauty contests any time soon."

"No, I mean you look like you're in serious pain, there."

"She's right, you do," Willow said. "Just like I told you this morning."

"Yeah, well what am I supposed to do? Just sit around at home?"

"For starters," Willow answered.

"I had to let Buffy know what's out there."

"And now you did," Buffy said. "So you can go home and rest. Get better and be healed."

"I don't know if we've got the time for me to get better."

"What? You want to go face this Henry guy in that condition?" Willow asked.

"No, but we can't just let him wander around, either," Kennedy replied.

"We'll go after him when you're feeling better," Buffy interrupted them before the two lovers could argue. "Then all three Slayers will take him on. That'll give me a chance to find his lair."

"See if he likes taking on three Slayers at once," Willow said happily.

"Just from what I saw, he'll probably get a chubby," Kennedy said wryly.

The Mistress' throne room was empty. With no vampires, it looked cavernous and cold. Fitting, since vampires needed neither light nor warmth. Still, it had no feeling of residence.

It made Henry sad. They had to leave their home in Spain to come to this accursed town. All for some prophesy. Henry would do anything to keep his Mistress alive, and that included coming to Cleveland. Now he had important news for her, news that could not wait until her waking.

"Ho, there Henry!" Scott greeted him.

Of all those in the family, only Scott and his lover, Clare, could match Henry in fighting prowess. Of the three, Clare was undoubtedly the best. It was Henry, Scott, and Clare who guarded the Mistress while she slept. Today obviously was Scott's turn.

Henry stopped in front of Scott. Scott was a little taller than Henry, with wider shoulders. His brown hair matched Henry's, as did his blue eyes. Scott was Henry's older brother in life, and his younger brother in un-life.

"I need to speak to the Mistress," Henry said without preamble.

"She's sleeping."

"I know."

"You also know the penalty for disturbing her. It took me three months to heal from the last time I failed to let her sleep unmolested."

"Look, this is important."

"I don't care if it's vital. You're not getting past me."

"Damn it, Scott! I need to speak to the Mistress!"

"Talk to her at sundown, like everyone else. Or wait till she gets up in mid-afternoon."

"I'll wait."

"Fine by me."

Henry sat cross-legged on the floor. Damn older brothers. Even as a vampire, he was too stuck on the "procedures" to see the big picture.

Atlanta sure was a swell city. At least, swell enough to visit. Being cooped up in a cramped apartment for the day, however, was not ranking high on the swell-o-meter.

These were just some of the thoughts passing through the mind of the vampire known as Horace as he watched mindless commercials dance across his television screen. Between the light show that was entertainment, he caught the reflection of the only window to this hovel. The shades were shut, only a crack on the top of the window between the shades and the window frame letting in any light. Harmless, really.

Behind Horace sat Cedric and Lucinda. They were at a rickety card table, playing gin rummy. Cedric was taking blood out of his arm. It ran down a plastic tube into a metallic cooler. Before Horace could give much thought to his two companions, his program began again.

"That little hussy!"

"Which one, Jody or Sarah?" Cedric asked. This was not the first time Horace vilified his favorite soap opera characters.

"Bruno."

The two vampires at the table cast disbelieving looks at Horace's back.

"I thing the term for men is either 'player' or 'dog'," Lucinda said.

"Or 'two-timing pig'," Cedric offered.

"Or 'man-whore'," Lucinda suggested.

"But never 'hussy' to describe a man."

"Gin," Lucinda said as she laid down her hand.

"Damn," Cedric threw his cards on the table. Lucinda picked them up and began to shuffle.

"Oh no, Bruno is a hussy. He's more feminine than Lucinda," Horace said.

"Not that that's saying anything special. Or like it's that hard to do," Cedric said. Lucinda gave him a nasty look. Cedric smiled. "Lucy, you know it's true."

"Don't call me Lucy. I'm not some peroxide blonde with no brains, a big mouth, and a Cuban drum-playing husband."

"Bongos," Horace corrected without looking away from the television.

"What?"

"Desi played the bongos, not the drums."

"Whatever," Lucinda dismissed the subject. "The point is I don't want to be called Lucy."

"Okay," Cedric said.

"And I can be feminine if I want."

"Sure Lucinda," Cedric placated her.

Cedric pulled the needle out of his arm and began to put the equipment away.

"I can be," Lucinda insisted.

"Which is why the Mistress sent you with us, to ply your feminine charms against the Slayer," Cedric retorted.

"Hey, girls these days – who knows?" Horace offered.

Both his companions shot him dirty looks.

"Contrary to popular belief, I can be quite the vixen," Lucinda said. "I'll have you know I lure almost all my meals to secluded areas with my 'feminine charms'. Just because I'm also strong, dependable, and a good fighter you think of me as not being feminine."

"That's a little sexist, don't you think?" Cedric asked.

"He's just still sore you picked Darius over him for that little vacation in Crete," Horace said.

"That was over thirty years ago," Lucinda said.

"He's not one to forget things like that."

"That is not the reason for this conversation," Cedric said.

"And how did you know about it?" Lucinda asked Horace. "It was supposed to be a secret."

"Not so much of a secret, huh?" He turned from the television to look at her.

"I just say 'Lucy' to get a rise out of you," Cedric stated.

"You are not changing the subject on me," Lucinda shot back.

"Well, that's good, 'cause you get a rise out of her all the time, don't you?"

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Lucinda's head whipped around to face Horace.

"Oh, come on Lucinda, you're a big girl. I don't have to draw you a picture or use explicit language with you, do I? You're the one who spent a month in Crete with Darius and two weeks in the Caribbean with Palmer. Killing, maiming, destroying property, and making like minxes the whole time."

"How is it you know the most intimate details of my life?"

"I wouldn't call them the most intimate details of your life," Horace countered. "Now, if I knew exactly what you did when making like a minx, that would be intimate."

"Yeah, like what you screamed out," Cedric offered. Lucinda shot him a withering look.

"Exactly," Horace agreed. "What I just mentioned are merely the facts about where you were, who you were with, and what you did together."

"But how do you know about them? That was before your time. Crete, anyway."

"I may look like a man who's above gossiping–"

"Yeah, 'cause you're so distinguished looking," Cedric cut in with a snort.

"But I love it," Horace continued as if uninterrupted. "I keep my ear firmly attached to the grapevine. In fact, there isn't anything I won't spoon out or eat up if it's part of the dish, you know?"

"I have no idea what you just said," Lucinda admitted.

"It's amazing the Mistress sent you, let alone she lets you out of the house at all," Cedric said as he shook his head in disbelief.

"It has to be all that Dawson's Creek and Charmed he watches."

"In fact, if the Mistress hadn't called out your name, you wouldn't be here. I have no use for such a prattling, imbecilic vampire such as yourself."

"The Mistress seems to think I'm useful."

"Well, aside from blood transfusion work, I have yet to see it."

"Getting pretty high and mighty for someone who gave the Slayer information that led to Darius getting dusted, aren't you?" Horace asked in a too-sweet voice.

"What? You did that?" Lucinda was shocked.

Cedric shrugged, "The Mistress forbade us from lifting our hands against one of her minions, one of her children. He was hunting and killing other vampires. I eliminated a threat. And I did it without lifting my hands."

"And it wasn't prompted by the fact Lucinda took him to Crete for a romantic getaway and not you? It was totally noble."

"Of course my motives were noble."

"You just ignored a decade-long death toll among vampires due to Darius until that certain point."

"By the time I got to him, he was one of those very unfortunate vampires someone cursed with a soul. Poor guy was miserable. Didn't even put up a fight when the Slayer came to get him. I ended his suffering."

"Right. And that suffering just happened to end when you found out about their little trip twenty years before. It took you that long to track him down and give his information to a Slayer?"

Lucinda began dealing the cards in her hand. She nearly whipped them at Cedric while glaring daggers at him.

"Horace, have I ever mentioned what a big mouth you have?" Cedric asked.

"Only every time I open it."

"Then do yourself a favor and shut it. And get yourself over here and take care of this blood. You're the transfusion expert."

"Are you going to play?" Lucinda asked through clenched teeth.

"Yes, Lucinda."

"Are you sure, Henry?"

"Yes, Mistress."

The Mistress drummed her claws on the armrest of the throne. Her mouth quirked in thought. She got a far away look in her eyes. Henry stood as a supplicant, giving her his news before she held audience with the rest of her family. She had just come out of her bedroom when he asked to speak with her. She agreed. Now Henry stood before her throne while she pondered her next move.

"It would seem the years have affected me more than I thought possible. Either that or Bane has become freer than I ever anticipated. Whatever the cause, it is disturbing." She stopped to consider her next words. "You have done well, Henry. We must find Bane, his assistance in this matter would be most appreciated."

"But, Mistress, your plan–"

"Can always be improved. And Bane would be a welcome improvement."

Henry nodded in agreement. The Mistress smiled.

"And the Slayers you fought?" she asked.

"I left them alive to come here and tell you the news."

"And yet you waited to tell me."

"Scott wouldn't let me interrupt your slumber."

There was a pause while the Mistress considered this news.

"Very good. See to it that next time you kill the Slayers, won't you?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"The less allies this one Slayer has, the better. The prophecy will be thwarted."

"Yes, Mistress."

In a cemetery in Atlanta, the vampire Slayer named Rhona was busy fighting a group of vampires. She moved with the dangerous grace only bestowed upon a Slayer. Where she went, vampires crumbled into dust after a flurry of movement. She was death to the undead.

Cedric, Lucinda and Horace stood watching the fight. At Horace's feet was the metallic cooler from earlier today that Cedric filled with his blood. The three Master vampires gauged the proficiency of the Slayer's attacks.

"She's good," Horace commented unnecessarily.

"It's a good thing we've got you, then," Cedric said dryly.

"Hey, I'm glad we outnumber her," Lucinda said. "She's really good."

"Better than the last one we brought," Horace said.

"Which is why we are not bringing her before the Mistress," Cedric said.

"Tell me again why Scott, Clare, and Henry aren't here doing this?" Horace asked.

"To make your life helluva complicated," Cedric answered.

"That, and Scott and Clare have other duties to perform," Lucinda added.

"Why, aren't you willing to prove your usefulness?" Cedric asked.

"Oh, I am. I was only wondering."

Rhona was finishing up with the last vampires. To the three watching Masters, the fight was over. Cedric stepped forward.

"Ready?" His companions joined him. "I've always found black women beautiful in an exotic way. Slayers – they just add a little something to their appeal."

"Maybe it's the danger," Lucinda said conversationally.

"Maybe it's that you can't have them," Horace said, the metal cooler dangling from his hand.

"Whatever the reason, I get one tonight," Cedric said with a smile.

They vamped-out and with matching growls, leaped at Rhona. She turned just in time to get clotheslined by Horace. Rhona fell hard on her back. Horace kept flying through the air.

Lucinda kicked Rhona in the side. Cedric stomped Rhona's face. Lucinda kept kicking the downed Slayer while Cedric concentrated on her face. Rhona let Lucinda attack her unchallenged, as she was too busy blocking Cedric's feet.

Horace entered the equation, grabbing Rhona's ankles, keeping her legs from kicking out. His claws dug into Rhona's skin as she thrashed and writhed, trying to get free.

Lucinda stopped kicking Rhona, only to jump on her shoulders. Both her clavicles snapped. Rhona yelped in pain. With a sadistic smile, Lucinda twisted her heels, grinding the broken bones into the severed nerves of Rhona's shoulders and making the Slayer cry out in pain.

"Okay, already," Cedric snapped. "She won't be any good if her arms are totally useless."

Lucinda shrugged and jumped back. Her feet landed to either side of Rhona. She sat on the young woman's stomach, hard. All the breath left Rhona in a rush. Lucinda held the Slayer's now immobile arms down into the soft earth.

Cedric knelt straddling Rhona's head. He took a moment to savor the fear rolling off this Slayer in waves. He buried his fangs in her jugular.

"So, what do you think?" Dawn asked Buffy.

"Looks great. What's it for?"

"The party tomorrow night. The one I'm going to with Cody Harmon."

"Who, you've told me a million times, is the coolest, cutest, hunkiest, smartest guy in school," Buffy said.

Dawn smiled. Buffy returned it. Dawn looked at the assortment of weapons on the kitchen counter and raised her eyebrows.

"All these for patrolling?"

"No, taking inventory," Buffy replied as she separated a sword from among a pile of axes.

"Why?"

"Just thought it'd be a good idea to know what weapons we have available here in the house."

"Oh," Dawn looked around the counter. "Where's the holy water?"

"Out. But I'll get more. Seeing as it's become your weapon of choice."

"Hey, what's wrong with that? I may have, once upon a time, wanted to get all-physical and go toe-to-toe with the vamps, but not anymore. Now, I'm wiser and more battle hardened, and I just don't want to take that risk."

"Plus it's a lot less strenuous," Buffy pointed out.

"Well, there is that, too."

"All right, I'll go get you more holy water."

"I can do it. I mean St Dominic's is just down the street."

"No, I'll get the holy water. You do your homework."

Buffy picked up a duffle bag. It clinked with a dozen small vials inside. Dawn rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. She left the kitchen to get her schoolbag and do her homework.

The Mistress sat on her throne, her family arrayed in a semi-circle before her. The newest member to their family stood in the center of the semi-circle. She stood tall and proud, full vampire features exposed. She ran her tongue over her canines with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"So, child, are you ready to tell us your name, now?" the Mistress asked.

"Amanda, Mistress. My name is Amanda."

"Excellent! Are you ready to begin your new life?"

"I am."

The Mistress raised her eyebrows. All the vampires in the semi-circle shifted their feet.

"Mistress," Amanda added.

"Good. Are you ready to embrace your new destiny?"

"I am, Mistress."

"Are you ready to kill a fellow Slayer? One who took you in and taught you how to be a Slayer? Are you ready to kill this Buffy Summers?"

"I am, Mistress."


	7. Part 2 Chapter 2

Chapter II

Buffy stepped up to the entrance of St. Dominic's Catholic Church. Two very large and ornate wooden doors filled the frame. St. Dominic's was a large building, copying a cathedral style. It was Buffy's favorite church to come to for holy water for several reasons.

The first reason was its size. Because it was home to so many parishioners, there were several large sconces near every entrance filled with holy water for them to bless themselves when entering and exiting church. There was also a huge holy water font at the front of the church, in case Buffy needed more than her usual supply; much like the night she, Faith, and Kennedy buried Bane within the Rowling Salt Mine.

Another reason Buffy liked St. Dominic's was its location – only three blocks away from her house. Much nicer than back in Sunnydale, where she had to go all the way across town to get her holy water. Not that there was much town, but this was so much easier.

The final reason Buffy liked St. Dominic's was that it was never locked. The priest in charge of the parish, Father Martinson, liked to leave the church open in case someone needed to pray.

Buffy pulled on one of the ornate handles. Nothing happened. She tugged again, this time with a little more pressure. Still nothing. Frowning, she put down her duffle bag and looked at the doors, perplexed. They were locked. That never happened.

Frustrated, she looked around. She could just go home and come back during the day, when Fr. Martinson was here. But this new vampire, Henry, seemed like a nasty guy; having some holy water around might throw him off his game. Plus, it was now Dawn's weapon of choice.

Steeling a look of apology at the top of the steeple, Buffy grabbed both handles, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She tensed, readying herself to force the doors open, destroying the locks.

A hand clamped down on her left shoulder. Buffy spun to her right, bringing her left arm up, knocking the hand off her shoulder. With her right hand, she took out a stake from her waistband and brought it up, ready for use.

Her assailant brought his fist up, connecting with her wrist and sending the stake flying. Buffy wanted to get a good look at him, but with the speed of his strike, she felt it best to defend herself and figure out who he was later.

Buffy kicked out, only to have her foot knocked away. Her opponent tried for a jab, but Buffy easily blocked it. She came around with a chop, he blocked. He tried a jumping roundhouse, only to be dodged.

They sparred like this for several minutes, equal in skill. He was just a tad bit faster, an amazing feat with Buffy's reflexes being mystically charged. She was a lot stronger. Slowly, Buffy began to push him back, from the sheer power she possessed.

They came to the edge of the stone steps and Buffy tried a front arc-kick. It was, of course, blocked. But when he blocked the kick, he lost his footing and fell the five feet to the ground.

He hit, back first, and his legs came up as he rolled through his shoulder to a standing position, taking a defensive stance. Now Buffy could see what he was.

He was human. More to the point, he was a priest. He had sandy-brown hair, blue eyes, and a tan complexion. Not a vampire, then. The man stood, panting and sweating, but his eyes showed determination. Buffy guessed him to be in his late twenties, definitely not over thirty. And for a priest, he was good looking.

Just because he wore a Roman collar did not put him on the side of the angels. Caleb was a preacher, and look at the damage he did. Buffy kept her guard up to match his posture.

"Who are you?" she asked. Buffy was pleasantly surprised to find out her breathing was even.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I asked first."

He dropped his hands and stood straight. "I'm Father Rory McMillan. I'm here while Fr. Martinson's away on sabbatical. Now, who are you?"

"Buffy Summers." She dropped her defensive stance. "Why'd you sneak up on me?"

"I'm just used to walking softly," McMillan answered with a shrug. "I came to see what you were doing here. Why are you here?"

"I came to use the church."

"At ten o'clock at night?" He began to circle around the steps.

"Yeah. What can I say? I like it in there. It's very church-y. But it's locked. And it's never locked."

"So you were going to … what? See if jiggling the handles would make it open?"

"Something like that."

McMillan climbed the steps, fishing his keys out of his pocket.

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to inconvenience anyone. They've had a run of thefts here. So, I lock up at night. I know Fr. Martinson doesn't, but that's just the way I am."

"Theft? Really?"

"Yeah, but the funny thing is that St. Dominic's has got a lot of valuables but none of those are missing."

"Valuables?"

"Ornate crosses. Statues. That kind of stuff. Seems like the only thing these thieves are interested in is holy water."

"A lot of holy water stolen?"

"Yeah. In fact, just before I came, about three weeks ago, all the holy water was taken. That's weird. I mean, it's not that hard to replace, but it's got to get tiring, blessing all that water over and over again. Plus, the thieves might get smart and decide to take the real valuables."

"Are you out of holy water? 'Cause I could use some. A lot, actually."

Fr. McMillan's keys were in the lock. He stopped from turning it and looked at Buffy.

"Are you the one stealing the holy water?"

"Not stealing, really. More like appropriating it for later use."

"Appropriating?" There was a hint of laughter in his voice.

"It's a military term. It means–"

"I know what it means. I'm just surprised you'd use that term." McMillan looked at her hard. "And what later use are you talking about?"

"It's a long story. And I'm not sure you'd believe me."

"I'm a man of faith, Buffy. There are a lot of things I believe. And I like long stories."

"And complicated."

"Long and complicated. And unbelievable. Now I've got to hear this one. Come on, I'm ready."

Buffy nearly jumped into a fighting stance. "Ready for what?"

"To hear it."

"I don't know…"

"Tell you what, you tell me your long and complicated – not to mention unbelievable – story and I'll give you all the holy water you can handle."

"That's a lot of holy water."

"Just call me Leno."

The priest smiled at his joke. Buffy only raised her eyebrows, not knowing what he was talking about.

He explained, "You know, 'we'll make more.'"

When she still did not get his joke, he sighed heavily.

"Okay, a tad too obscure. Look, I don't mind making holy water. And neither does Fr. Martinson. We just don't like the idea of someone stealing it. Kind of blasphemous, that way."

"How do you make water?" Buffy stopped to consider her wording then added, "Isn't that a euphemism for urinating?"

"I don't make the water. I make it holy by blessing it," McMillan said. A mock serious look came over his face as he leaned in to whisper in a fake conspirator's tone. "It's a trade secret. And a perk."

"What is?"

McMillan stood straight and smiled, "Having special powers, of course." He winked at Buffy. "Come on."

He took his keys out of the lock, turned, and began walking down the steps.

"Where are you going?"

"The rectory has comfortable recliners. If your story's as long as you make it sound, I want to have a good seat. Besides, I don't like being outside in the dark around this town. It creeps me out. I don't think it's safe."

"You got that right," Buffy muttered, following McMillan to the sidewalk.

"What's that?"

"Okay, but don't try anything."

"Buffy, I'm a man of the cloth," McMillan pointed out.

"Like wearing that means anything."

"True. I guess a psycho could dress up however they wanted to, eh?"

"Yeah, they could. I've met one such psycho."

"I'm sorry to hear that," McMillan smiled. "But it's not like you couldn't fend me off. Those were some serious moves, back there."

"Well, I don't know, you were holding your own back there. How'd you react so fast?"

"Years of training. And good reflexes."

"But you're a priest."

"That doesn't mean I can have good reflexes?"

"Well, no. But I don't see too many uses for martial arts in the priesthood."

McMillan smiled, "You've never been through the seminary."

"I doubt it's that rough," Buffy said dryly.

"No, not really. But I wasn't born with this collar on."

"Good point."

"I'm curious as to why you pulled out a big pointy stick when I grabbed your shoulder."

"Well, you scare a girl, you're bound to be surprised yourself."

"Fair enough. But a wooden stake? And so sudden, too."

"What can I say? Good reflexes and years of training."

"From where? The Caprini Greens of hell?"

"I'll answer all your questions when I tell you my story."

"Then I'm all ears," McMillan said as he motioned toward the door to the rectory.

Faith spent the entire evening in Xander's hot tub. Technically, you could say it was their hot tub, but Faith still liked to differentiate her things from Xander's. Her Slayer's healing took care of most of the bruises and cuts on her body. The hot tub took care of the sore muscles. Now she felt ready to take on that Henry and show him what happened when you messed with a Slayer.

She was just getting out of the tub when there was a knock at the door. Wrapping a large fluffy blue towel around herself, she went to the door. She checked her image in the mirror in the small entranceway hall. Her hair was plastered to her scalp and laid back. Her face was free of all bruising, as were her shoulders. The towel concealed the rest of her body. Shrugging, she decided she was presentable enough for whoever was at the door.

Faith checked the peak-hole. Seeing who was on the other side of the portal, she smiled. She unlocked the door and threw it open.

"Kennedy, how you doing, little sister?"

"Better. I'm not so sore."

"Yeah, you took quite the pounding last night. More than I did, anyway."

"Xander said you looked like one big bruise."

"Leave it to him to over-exaggerate. I'm sure that if we were to compare, you got the bigger end of the beating stick."

Kennedy shrugged, "Thanks for the offer, but I don't want to see you naked; I'm set with Willow. As curious as I am about what her reaction would be, I doubt I'd like a jealousy-induced Willow-witch."

Faith laughed and stepped back from the door. Kennedy came inside the apartment.

"Me neither. And I wasn't offering you to get all 'lickedy-split' on me. Despite being in prison for a few years, I do not swing that way."

"Whoa, someone's getting a little defensive," Kennedy said with a smile.

"Hey, I'm just saying," Faith countered. "Besides, I got all the loving I want in Xander Harris."

"So I gathered."

Kennedy flopped onto the couch. She looked up at Faith expectantly.

"Uh, you want to tell me why you're here?" Faith asked.

"I'm here to patrol with you. But you can't go out like that."

"I was thinking it could be our new secret weapon. We just go out soaking wet, with only a towel on."

"Then we can fight all naked when it comes to actual Slaying?"

"Hey, it'd distract the vamps."

"And get us arrested."

"I'll go get dressed."

Faith left the bedroom door open as she got dressed.

"So what's the plan, then?" she yelled out.

"I thought maybe we'd cruise the cemeteries until we found some vampires," Kennedy said. "Then we'd dust them."

"And if we come across Henry?"

"He gets it, too!"

"Well, it's good to see you're not afraid of him."

"I was freaked by him not going 'poof' when I staked him. But then I had a long talk with Buffy and Willow. They explained sometimes that happens."

"Yeah, it does."

"At least he's not another Bane or an Ubervamp."

"No, he's not," Faith exited the bedroom. She was clad in jeans, a tight fitting tee shirt, sneakers, and a jean jacket.

"So, what are we going to do if we run across Henry? He did kick our asses with ease last night," Kennedy asked.

"I'm just going to go out on a limb here, but I think we should kick HIS ass this time."

"Which is why we're going on patrol together and why I'm bringing the Slayer's Scythe."

"Beauty."

The sitting room to St. Dominic's rectory was unnaturally quiet. Buffy sat on one recliner, Fr. McMillan on the other. A short table was placed between them with a porcelain teapot full of coffee. Fr. McMillan sat swirling his cup thoughtfully as Buffy picked up hers and took a nervous sip.

"You're right, that is long and complicated," McMillan finally broke the silence. "You're the Slayer?"

"Yup. You don't seem too surprised."

"Well, it explains a lot. Now I can see why you'd want holy water all the time."

"So, you know about the Slayer?"

"Oh, sure. There's very little that goes on that I don't have my suspicions about, anymore. But you said something about you not being THE Slayer any longer."

"Well, it used to be that there was only one girl in all the world. Now there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of Slayers."

"Hm. How'd that work out for you? Being the only one in the whole world?"

"Who said I wasn't one of those girls activated with all the others?"

"No one. But I got the impression, just from your story, that you were the one and only for a while there."

"Yeah, I was."

"So, how'd that work out for you?" McMillan asked as he put his coffee on the table.

"Not too well, I died twice."

"You died?"

"I was revived."

"Oh," McMillan stood. "I suppose I should get you that holy water, huh? How much do you want?"

Buffy prodded her duffle bag with her foot, "I've got some vials in here."

Fr. McMillan picked up the bag and opened it. He let out a grunt.

"Is this all the holy water you use at a time?" he asked. "Buffy, how are you supposed to fight the forces of evil with this kind of artillery?"

"Hey, I hardly ever use holy water. I'm more a 'hands-on' kind of gal."

"Still, you wouldn't fight a forest fire with water balloons, would you?"

"Maybe with really big ones."

He smiled at her answer, "I'll fill these up, but you've got to have more than this. I've got a few empty milk jugs in the kitchen. I'll give them to you."

He took the bag and went to the kitchen. Buffy stood up, taking her coffee with her.

"You don't have to do that," she objected.

"No problem at all. I can't send you back out there ill equipped. A soldier must have her very best weapons to fight her very best. And she must have enough of them."

"Thanks."

They entered the kitchen. Fr. McMillan flicked on the lights and headed for the sink. Buffy took a look around the room. It was small and cozy and well stocked. There were pots and pans hanging over an island counter. There was a refrigerator, dishwasher, and microwave. She saw the island had an extra sink inside it. This was not what she expected for a priest's house. Biting back a remark, she took another sip of coffee.

"This is really good coffee," she said instead.

"Thanks."

"What kind is it?"

"Oh, it's several brands and flavors of beans. I grind and brew my own. It's richer that way."

Standing at the sink with his back to Buffy, Fr. McMillan began to fill the vials with water. His voice rose as he spoke over the faucet.

"When you join the priesthood you have to give up all your former vices. At least, I had to. But nature abhors a vacuum, so I had to get new habits to replace my old vices. One of those replacements was coffee. Another was reading."

"Vices, huh? You don't seem the type of person to have vices."

"And you don't seem the Van Helsing type, either."

"Got me there."

"I was a totally different person before the seminary."

"How different?"

"Worlds apart."

"Sounds familiar," Buffy said. "I was a lot different before I became the Slayer."

"How different?"

"A lot. But that was a lifetime ago."

"I know the feeling," McMillan said.

Finished with the vials, he placed them on the island. Then he squatted down and pulled out four one-gallon water jugs from under the sink. Winking at Buffy, he began to fill them, turning his back to her once again.

"So, tell me about your sister."

"Dawn?"

"Yes. You said she was a typical teenage girl. I was never one, so I don't know what that means."

"You didn't have sisters?"

"Only child," he said with shake of his head.

"That would be nice," Buffy mumbled. She raised her voice, "Well, she's seventeen, has brown hair, and all she ever thinks about is boys."

"That'll change."

"What?"

McMillan twisted his back to look at her. "Her thinking about boys. One day, she'll start thinking about men." He gave her another wink, "Then you have to watch out."

"You know, you're not a regular priest."

"No, I'm not," McMillan agreed. He turned back to the sink. "But have you ever sat and talked, really talked, with a priest before? And I'm not just talking about that psycho you mentioned earlier."

"I've seen them around," Buffy said. "Religion really isn't my thing."

"Surprising, since you fight evil constantly. How do you keep your focus?"

"Tell myself, this is what I do; it's who I am. It's that simple," she paused and took a sip of coffee. Fr. McMillan shrugged and nodded in consent to her point. Buffy considered him for a moment.

"But you, I don't get," Buffy said. "You're not that simple."

"I should hope not. After all, I am a living person, not some two-dimensional character in a comic book or TV series. But you just met me, how can you possibly figure me out in an hour?"

He turned from the sink with two full jugs. Placing them on the counter with the vials, he smiled at Buffy and turned back to the sink.

"I'm just a guy. A man who heard his calling and answered it. That's all."

"Again with the familiar," Buffy said. "Except with me being a girl." She took a sip of coffee. "Did you jump at your calling?"

"Jumped the other way. I ran away from it as fast and as far as I could. Turned a deaf ear to it for years."

"What happened? I mean, obviously you're here, so you heard it some time."

"Funny thing about callings, they don't go away. Ever. I heard it again after a disturbing day at work. So I quit that job and entered the seminary."

The room was quiet except for the sound of water filling the jugs in the sink.

"You?" he asked.

"I've tried to run away, not be the Slayer, several times. Bad things happen."

"Can't escape a calling."

"Nope."

"They're just too strong to avoid."

"Yeah."

The room again became quiet. Buffy took another sip of her coffee. No kidding, this was a good brew. Fr. McMillan turned with the last two jugs of water.

"Okay, now I bless it, and you got a stockpile of holy water," he put the jugs down on the counter. "I just have to find my book with that prayer. Shouldn't be too hard to find." He looked up at Buffy and saw the pensive expression she wore. McMillan smiled, "Hey, weren't you telling me about Dawn?"

Daybreak brought so many things. Birds began to sing, humans began to stir, and the Mistress went to sleep. Not today, though. Today, she postponed her slumber so she could see the newest member to her family.

She was beautiful with long black hair arranged in a multitude of dreadlocks. Short of stature and her build alluded to power. Her ebony skin was flawlessly smooth. A perfect addition to the Mistress' family.

"Welcome, child," the Mistress said. "You look wonderful."

"Thank you, Mistress."

"And I see Cedric has trained you on protocol."

"Yes, Mistress. He is an awesome sire."

"So he is," the Mistress agreed. "Do you know why you're here?"

"To kill Slayers, Mistress."

"I will have to commend Cedric on such a thorough job. Yes, to kill Slayers. Are you up for it?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"What's your name, child?"

"Rhona."

"Clare."

"Yes, Mistress?" the only other vampire in the room stepped forward from her place in the background.

"Take her and train her. She must be ready for the hunt."

"Yes, Mistress," Clare said. She took hold of Rhona's arm and led the shorter woman away.

"Tell Cedric I would like to see him before I retire for the morning."

"I will, Mistress."

Clare steered Rhona into the hall. Cedric, Horace, and Lucinda stood on the other side of the door.

"The Mistress wants to see Cedric."

He nodded once and stepped into the throne room, shutting the door behind him. Lucinda shrugged and walked away. Horace looked puzzled.

"Why aren't all of us going in there?"

"I don't know," Clare answered. "I try not to fathom the Mistress' wishes."

"But I was there, too. I risked my life, just like Cedric did."

"What do you want, a cookie?" Clare pinched the bridge of her nose. Another sleepless day training a newbie, and now Horace's whining. Of all the Mistress' children, he was the least popular.

"I want some respect around here."

"Tell you what, the day you actually earn it instead of whining about it, is the day you'll get it. Now, I've got some training to do with Rhona, here."

She brushed past Horace. Fuming at her back, he watched her go. He would get his respect, all right. And this damn prophecy would be how he would obtain it.

"Cedric, you are a good boy."

"Thank you, Mistress."

"Not only did you bring me a very dangerous Slayer, fully-vamped, but you also taught her the proper protocols. And you told her the purpose she was turned instead of simply killed."

"I thought it best to give her the reasons, Mistress. I find people, and vampires, do more for you when they have the why as well as the how."

"True, very true," the Mistress said. "I know I do not treat you as a typical favorite of mine. But you are among my favorite children. You know how much I rely on you."

Cedric merely nodded.

"Of all my children you are the only one who passed my test with Darius."

"Mistress, I–"

"I know what happened," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "As I said, it was a test. And you were the only one to pass. He had a soul and was destroying other vampires." She shivered in disgust at the thought. "But he was left alone to see who would take the initiative. That was you, destroying him for me. In my eyes you are the only one ready for Ik'lawce."

"Mistress," Cedric breathed in rapture. Ik'lawce, the ancient vampire word for being your own master. It meant independence, and so much more. For him to receive such a gift was an honor indeed.

"Well, I'm not going to bestow it upon you right now," the Mistress said. "But I will very soon. You have been worthy of it for over a quarter of a century. It's about time you got it."

"I am forever your most obedient servant, Mistress."

"I know that. The Ik'lawce was never about loyalty. At least, not with me. It's about worthiness."

"I am unworthy for such an honor."

"Nonsense," she snapped. "If I say you're good enough, you're good enough."

"When will the Ik'lawce take place?"

"When we've finished with that pesky Slayer."

"The one in the prophecy?"

"Yes," the Mistress answered. "But don't worry, I'll bestow the rights on you before we're done with her. It'll be formally announced once we're done with this Buffy Summers."

"That would seem prudent, Mistress."

"Of course. And now, I need help with a problem I did not foresee."

"What is it, Mistress?"

"Henry came home from the hunt, bearing some disturbing news. It seems he fought two Slayers and let them both live."

"Why would he do that, Mistress?"

"Because they told him Bane was in this city, buried in a salt mine."

"Bane, Mistress? Are you sure?"

"That's what I asked Henry. He said the Slayers spoke of Bane as one does a crushed foe."

"So what does this mean to us, Mistress?"

"It means I want Bane by my side."

"As another piece to your plan, he could decide which way the prophecy favors."

"Exactly."

"What did you need of me, Mistress?"

"You are such a good boy," she smiled her odd smile. "Even with the promise of Ik'lawce, you think only of serving me. This is why I want you to be your own master. You see much and say little, but you are always willing to do what needs to be done. So little of my children are like that, anymore."

"Thank you, Mistress."

"I want to find Bane. I want him to hunt and destroy all the Slayers who walk upon the Earth. Dozens around the world, how disconcerting. I want your opinion on who I should give charge to the task of unburying Bane."

"Well, it would be time-consuming and hazardous, if the Slayers really did bury him, I'm thinking it would have to be in a salt mine, as they told Henry. We'd have to find out which one. Then we'd have to get him out."

"Yes, go on."

"As I said before, it would be perilous. Whoever was in charge would have to be willing to do whatever was necessary to get the job done."

"Who do you have in mind?"

"Lucinda comes to mind immediately. So do Tina and Beemers. Then there's me."

"Who would you put in charge, then?"

"Actually, Mistress, I think I'd go with Horace."

"Horace?" the Mistress asked. "I would think he'd be at the bottom of your list."

"He is a prat, Mistress. But everyone knows it. If you were to assign this to him, he would be so unbearable that many of your children would work harder just to get the job done."

"So they would not have to be under his thumb."

"Exactly, Mistress," he replied. "And none of your children will have to be a taskmaster to the other and gain their hate."

She smiled, "You will make a fine Master vampire, won't you?"

"I'll do my best, Mistress," Cedric said with a smile of his own.

Willow came home from her afternoon classes, trying to find Kennedy. The younger woman got in late, when Willow was all ready sleeping. And Willow left early, while Kennedy slept in. So they did not get to talk at all in the last twelve hours. Willow was curious how things went on patrol. Obviously well, since Kennedy was not a mass of bruises, but Willow was curious if Kennedy and Faith found Henry.

She put her book bag down and went to the phone. She dialed a number she knew by heart.

"Kennedy, it's Willow… Just wondering where you were… Oh. Did I get you in trouble?… Right, 'in school' doesn't mean 'in class.' So you're okay to talk. Of course, it's after three… I was just wondering how things went last night, seeing as how we didn't get a chance to talk or anything… Well, mostly I missed the anything… Want to meet me somewhere? We could make a night of it… Oh come on, Faith and Buffy can cover just for tonight… Great! I'll see you then!"

Dawn came home, dropped her bag by the door, and headed straight for her room. She only had two hours until Cody Harmen was coming by to pick her up for their date. She did not have a lot of time, and she wanted to look stunning. This was going to be the best night, ever.

A very haggard Clare led Rhona and Amanda to the sewer entrance to the old mental hospital. The tiny blonde was barely standing after a full day training the two "newbies." Slayers turned vampire really were much more powerful than any normal vampire.

She motioned to two cots by the wall, "Get what rest you can before nightfall. The Mistress wants the two of you to go out on the hunt."

"We don't get our own rooms?" Amanda asked.

"No."

"But there's got to be tons of free rooms," Rhona pointed out.

"They're unoccupied. Nothing is free. When you have shown to the Mistress you are truly one of her children, you'll get your own rooms."

"How do we do that?" Amanda asked.

Clare was saved the chore of explaining the workings of the Mistress' family by the arrival of Cedric. He patted her on the shoulder. Clare looked at him gratefully and left.

"Say hello to Scott for me."

Clare smiled at Cedric as she exited the room. Cedric turned back to the former Slayers.

"You show you're part of the Mistress' family by exhibiting cunning, resourcefulness, and loyalty."

"So it could take us awhile, then." Rhona said.

"Less time than you think," Cedric replied. "After all, what was the reason we turned you?"

"To kill Slayers," Amanda answered.

"More to the point, Buffy Summers," Rhona added with a smile.

"Do you see how you can become a full member of the Mistress' family?"

"Can we do it tonight?" Rhona asked.

"Not tonight. Tonight we merely hunt."

Buffy came home in time to see Dawn off on her date. Dawn was dressed in tight jeans and a sweater, living her whole life in California made the crisp winter nights of December seem even colder. She also had a full-length gray wool overcoat. Her hair was pulled back into an elaborate braid, and she was wearing make-up.

"Don't you look dressed to kill," Buffy said when she caught sight of her sister.

"No, that's your job. I'm just going for impressing."

"Objective complete."

"You think?" Dawn asked. A broad smile split her face, "You like?"

"I don't think it's about me liking. I think it's about your date liking."

"Do you think he'll like it?"

"He'll love it," Buffy said. "He better, if he knows what's good for him."

Dawn smiled. Buffy reached forward with her right hand closed.

"I have something for you."

"Ooh, presents!" Dawn eagerly held her hand out.

Buffy opened her fist and dropped a large silver cross on a silver necklace into her sister's palm. Dawn's face fell.

"Not exactly the fashion accessory of the year."

"Hey, I think they're coming back in style." Dawn gave her a disbelieving look. "Just wear it, okay?"

"Okay."

Lights filled the front windows, followed shortly by a car horn honking. Dawn ran to the door.

"Bye. See you later."

"Hey!" Buffy called after her. "Don't I get to meet this Cody Harmen?"

"Hell no, " Dawn replied. "Last time you met the really popular guy in my life, you tried to screw him on a desk in a classroom, remember?"

"Hey, that was because of his charmed jacket."

"Still, I don't want to take the chance," Dawn said with a shrug. "Besides, even if you don't act that way, I don't want him meeting you, yet."

"Get out of here. And have fun."

"I will. Don't wait up for me."

Rhona and Cedric were walking along the streets of Cleveland. Rhona was enjoying the new sensations she felt. Everywhere she went, she felt connected. Every person she passed on the street, she felt his or her pulse vibrating its rhythm to her. She pointed this out to Cedric.

"Of course," he replied. "You are connected to the Earth in ways no human, not even a Slayer, ever could be. Only vampires and some rare demons are this in-tune with the world around them."

"It's a cool feeling."

"To be sure," Cedric said emphatically.

They lapsed into silence. Rhona glanced at a street sign to the intersection they were coming up to. She then checked the small slip of paper in her hands.

"This is it," she said. "My prey lives just a block from here."

"Are you sure you want to do this alone?"

Rhona gave him a withering look, "I was a vampire Slayer. I think I know what to do. Besides, Xander Harris? Not exactly difficult material when it comes to killing."

"Then I will meet you back here in exactly twenty minutes."

"Geez, don't give a girl much time do you? Where's the time for fulfillment?"

"The fulfillment will be in the feeding."

Rhona rolled her eyes. Either her joke passed over Cedric's head completely or it was not funny enough to be a joke. She turned without another word and made her way down the street to Xander's apartment building. Cedric watched her go, then turned to find himself a meal.

A vampire named Beemers was escorting Amanda. He was short, just taller than her, and beefy. His muscles were large, but not defined. His physique screamed power, but not awe. Nonetheless, he was to be Amanda's chaperone for the evening. They both saw it that way and neither liked the arrangement.

"It's always Mistress. Why can't we call her by her real name?"

"Because she believes that by letting someone address you by your name, you give them power over you."

"That's stupid."

Beemers stopped, standing completely still. Amanda strode ahead a few paces until she noticed he was not keeping up with her. She turned and looked at him.

"Don't ever call the Mistress stupid," he said in a low threatening voice.

"I didn't–"

"Nor the things she does," Beemers cut off what Amanda was saying. He strode forward until his face was mere inches from hers, "Her 'stupidity' has kept her alive a lot longer than any other vampire, ever. You'd do well to remember that."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

"Just make sure you don't say anything like that again. Better yet, don't even think it. There are children of hers living at the hospital right now who would dust you, consequences be damned, if they even suspected you of having such thoughts."

Beemers watched her to make sure his point was received. Nodding, he stepped past her and moved on up the sidewalk. Amanda hurried to catch up to him. They walked on in silence, entering a park.

Faith wanted to call it an early night. She did not want to run into Henry by herself and Kennedy took tonight off to be with Willow. Buffy was on one of her semi-annual "I'm too good to be teamed with anyone" Slayer highs. The night was beyond cold, and Faith just wanted to make a quick pass through one cemetery, then head back to Xander's apartment to get in some loving before Xander began to worry about the late hour.

Thinking of a night long sex-a-thon, Faith picked up the pace to her patrol until she was nearly running through the cemetery. In no time, she would be back at Xander's, provided nothing jumped out of the bushes at her.

Dawn shivered with cold. She and Cody were walking through a park, a shortcut to the party. Her California raised body needed more than a sweater and a wool overcoat to keep her warm. Cody was dressed in jeans and his letterman jacket.

"I'm just so embarrassed. I can't believe my car broke down like that back there."

"Hey, no problem," Dawn said. "Totally not your fault. How were you supposed to know that whatever went wrong was going to go wrong?"

"Yeah, but still," he insisted. "I'm sure this is not how you wanted to go to the party. You look like you're a little cold."

"Decembers in California are chilly, but not this cold," Dawn said. "But, I'm still going with you so … Walking's good. I like walking. I've been doing it since I was little. I'm used to it."

"Walking's good," Cody agreed.

"We can be fashionably late."

"Or we can skip the party all together."

"What?"

"Sure," he said. "It may be cold, but it is a beautiful night. I know a secluded spot just up ahead. I can keep you warm. What do you say?"

"Did your car break down on purpose?" Dawn asked with a smile.

"Maybe," Cody replied with a smile of his own. He leaned down to whisper, "Come on, it'll be fun, I promise."

He leaned down further, pursing his lips. Dawn tilted her head and closed her eyes, puckering her lips. She was knocked aside and fell to the ground with a painful thump. Stars danced in her vision as she opened her eyes to see a short male vampire feeding off Cody. Another vampire, this one female, was standing to one side of them.

"Jesus, Beemers, I think I get it. Can I feed off the little brat now?" the female vampire said. Dawn thought the voice vaguely familiar.

The male vampire, obviously Beemers, stopped feeding on Cody and looked at the other vampire. He smiled, or maybe it was more of a sneer.

"Be my guest, Amanda. Just don't let your years as a human and those months you were a Slayer prevent you from feeding."

Amanda? The Amanda who came to Sunnydale less than a year ago and helped Buffy fight the First? Could it be the same? The voice was definitely right. When she stepped closer, Dawn knew. This was the same Amanda, all right.

"Amanda, it's me, Dawn."

"Dawn Summers?" Amanda asked. When Dawn nodded, Amanda smiled broadly. "This is great! Beemers, guess who we have here?"

Beemers took his fangs from Cody's neck with a look of frustration and annoyance. He growled at Amanda.

"Who?"

"The Slayer's sister. This is Dawn Summers, little sis to Buffy Summers."

"Really?" Beemers dropped Cody. The boy fell to the ground, limp and unconscious.

"Really," Amanda answered. "What kind of damage it'll do to her, having her own sister fed on by vampires, I can only guess."

"So what are you waiting for? Kill her all ready!"

Amanda stepped forward until she was standing directly above Dawn, straddling her with both legs.

Xander opened the door to his apartment, confusion etched on his features.

"Hi, Xander."

"Rhona, aren't you in Atlanta?" he asked.

"Hello to you, too. Not tonight," Rhona answered with a small nervous smile. "I had to come see Buffy. But she wasn't home and this is important."

"End of the world important?" When Rhona nodded he stepped back. "Well, come on in," Xander said. He turned and walked back into his apartment. Rhona followed. "I'll give Buffy's cell a call. Then she can get whatever message you need to give her."

Rhona's face morphed, showing the bumps and ridges, "Yes, she'll definitely want to get this message."

Rhona shut the apartment's door with a kick of her foot. In one smooth motion she caught up to Xander, grabbed him by the neck, and threw him down the short hall and across the living room to crash into the outside wall. He hit it hard, indenting the plaster, creating a divot in the finish. The impact made him bounce back from the wall.

Xander ended up sprawled with his feet toward the wall, his head pointed at the entranceway. His vision blurred, but he was able to make out Rhona's vampire visage stalking toward him.

"Oh God, no," he managed to whisper.

"God has nothing to do with it," Rhona said. "Buffy may not like this message, but she's getting it, anyway."

Rhona grabbed Xander by the throat and hoisted him to his feet. She held him up one-handed. Cocking her head to one side and with a growl, she sank her fangs into his neck.


	8. Part 2 Chapter 3

Chapter III

A key jiggled in the lock to the apartment. Rhona's enhanced vampire hearing picked it up, but she was so absorbed in feeding on Xander, the noise did not register in her mind. The surprised yell did, though. It was all the warning Rhona needed.

She brought her fangs away from Xander's neck and spun to face the intruder. She kept Xander between them as a human shield. Rhona's reflexes – Slayer enhanced by vampire – kept her from getting dusted. A stake landed in Xander's left upper arm as Rhona spun them around. A fraction of a second sooner and it would have been in Rhona's heart.

Rhona saw who threw the stake and she smiled. She was not supposed to kill the Slayer tonight. But that was only Buffy the Mistress was worried about. Nobody had said anything about Faith.

"I don't know who you are, or how you got in here, but you picked the wrong man to feed off of," Faith said.

"You know who I am," Rhona replied. "Come on, take a guess."

Faith responded by taking out another stake from her waistband, "I guess you're dust."

"Wrong," Rhona shook her head. She let her vampire features fade. Faith gasped with shock. "That's right, it's me, Rhona."

"How?"

"It doesn't matter." She tossed Xander aside, "All that matters is I'm going to kill you, too."

With matching roars, the two women leaped across the space separating them. Landing, Faith kicked out with her right foot, hitting Rhona in the stomach. She let out a grunt, but otherwise ignored the blow.

Rhona grabbed Faith around both wrists, thereby negating the threat of the wooden stake in Faith's right hand. The Slayer tried to wrestle her hands free, but Rhona held on.

Forcing her arms apart, Rhona head-butted Faith three times. The first impact broke her nose. Blood spurted onto both women. The second hit snapped her head back, causing painful whiplash. The third head-butt blurred Faith's vision and made her knees buckle.

Rhona squeezed Faith's wrists. They both heard the bones cracking. Faith let out a scream of pain and dropped the stake. Rhona's smile grew wider. She brought her knee up into Faith's gut, hard and fast. Faith doubled over from the pain of the impact. As a vampire, Rhona's Slayer strength was multiplied.

Faith wheezed for breath, held up by Rhona's hands encircling her wrists. Rhona drove her knee into Faith's stomach four more times, in quick and brutal succession.

She stepped back and twisted her torso to swing Faith. The taller woman's feet left the floor and Rhona increased the speed and strength of the move. The result was Faith smashing into the archway between the living room and the entranceway left ribs-first with a bone-crunching thud that dented both wall and Slayer.

Faith slid down the archway and fell into a tangled heap on the floor. Every inch of her arms felt on fire. Her neck and face were numb with pain. The ribs on her left side felt broken and her organs felt liquefied. She coughed once and spit up bloody mucus.

She managed to get to her hands and knees. The pressure on her injured wrists shot white-hot lances of pain up her arms, increasing the burning sensation. Rhona stepped forward and kicked Faith in her uninjured side. The force of the blow lifted Faith off the floor half a foot, sent her into the archway again, and broke several ribs on the right side. Hitting the archway again injured her left ribs further.

As Faith lay huddled on the floor, cradling both sides, Rhona stood gloating. Her smile was a mix between grim and satisfied.

"You know, I'd give anything to see Buffy's face when she finds her friend and another Slayer sucked dry by a vampire."

"Then get on with the sucking," Faith said through gritted teeth. "And stop with the pointless gloating all ready."

"What is it with bad guys?" Xander said from Rhona's left. "As soon as they go bad, do they develop a gloat gene?"

Rhona looked at Xander. He was swaying on his feet, one hand held up to his neck to stop the flow of blood. The other hand was around a large cross. Rhona let out a hiss of pain and took a step back.

Xander took a step forward.

Rhona took another step back.

They continued like this until Rhona was out in the hall. The most frustrating part for the new vampire was the fact that if Xander was just a little closer, she could swat the cross away and attack. He must have known this, because he kept the distance between them constant.

When Rhona was backed-up into the hallway, Xander slammed the door shut. She pounced forward to find it dead-bolted shut. Growling in frustration and realizing she was being compelled to leave and meet Cedric, Rhona kicked a hole in Xander's door. She turned on her heel and left.

Xander collapsed on his haunches, exhausted. Faith stood, grimacing in pain. She made her way to the phone, painful step by painful step. Every movement sent tremors of agony from her ribs to the rest of her body. She picked up the phone and dialed Willow and Kennedy's number. Her hands barely worked, the damage done to her wrists being so extensive. She tried to keep the pain out of her voice when she spoke.

"Kennedy, it's me, Faith… Yeah, I know what I'm interrupting. Or at least I have a good idea. No pictures, please. So stop your heavy breathing and listen… I don't care. Xander and I just got attacked… We're in bad shape. Come get us… We're at the apartment. Have Willow bring stuff for an anti-invitation spell… Okay, see you then… Yeah, bye."

Faith hung up the phone. She looked at Xander. He unbolted the door, leaving the handle locked, took three steps into the apartment and passed out. Faith gritted her teeth and started to make her way to Xander. She was going to get him into the bed. A wave of intense pain wracked her body, followed by a wave of dizziness. Just before she blacked out, Faith prayed Rhona would not come back or she would find them very easy pickings, indeed.

Amanda reached down to grab Dawn and pulled back with a snarl of pain. On her face, where Dawn slapped her, was a cross, branded to her cheek. While Beemers howled with laughter at Amanda's discomfort, Dawn rolled out from under her and scrambled away.

"Good going," Beemers managed to say through wheezing laughter. "But you're letting her get away."

Amanda let out a frustrated growl and stalked after Dawn, who by now was on her feet and running. Amanda picked up her pace to a trot and soon, overcame the human.

Amanda jumped in front of Dawn. The teenager came skittering to a stop.

"That was a neat trick, hiding the cross in your palm like that," Amanda said. "Not very nice, but neat."

"Nice for me."

"True, but it's not something you can pull off twice."

Amanda lunged for Dawn, but jumped back when she was hit with a stream of holy water. She let out another snarl of pain, this one mixed with frustration as well. Dawn was turning out to be too much trouble.

Dawn took the time given her by Amanda's pain to turn and run into the park, away from the vampire. Xander's apartment was only a block away from this park. If she could make it there, and if he was home, she would be safe.

Beemers went back to his meal. He picked up Cody and sank his fangs in his neck. Most vampires had their favorite type of human to feed off of. Some preferred children. Others sought virgins. While others preferred to hunt and kill members of the opposite sex.

Beemers liked to feed off jocks. High school athletes were his favorite, due to their youth and, as a general rule, lack of drugs saturating their blood. Let others feed off little girls and virgins, Beemers stuck to athletes who had more blood of a higher quality than most others did.

Beemers finished his meal and discarded the body. He was sated, now he could help Amanda with her first kill. Stupid kid could not even dispatch a little girl. What a joke, and a former Slayer, too.

He took one step in her direction when he felt a pain in the left side of his back and chest. Looking down, he saw the point of a stake sticking out of his torso. His head came up with a look of disbelief. Before he could say anything, he crumbled into dust.

Buffy stepped through the pile of ash and looked down at his victim. She saw him begin feeding and rushed over to stop him from killing the boy. Obviously he was fast or began before Buffy noticed him. She hated being seconds late.

Her look of remorse and disgust turned to horror as she saw the name embroidered on the letterman jacket. She stood and began scanning area.

"Dawn! Dawn!"

She took off down the path, heading right for Amanda.

Amanda heard Buffy's voice as she called out for Dawn. Suppressing a growl, she ducked behind some bushes as the blonde Slayer ran past her. Buffy stopped suddenly and stooped down. Amanda wanted nothing better than to jump out from her hiding place and attack Buffy. She could not; something compelled her to stay hidden, to avoid confrontation. She watched as Buffy picked something up, whispered "Dawn" and ran on.

Amanda stepped out from behind the bushes and looked to where Buffy was going. That was the general direction Dawn had been heading in. No doubt the two had the same location in mind; Dawn for sanctuary, Buffy to find her little sister. It was no use going that way.

Amanda looked back the way Buffy had come from. That was where Beemers was feeding on that kid. He was more than likely a pile of ash by now. Amanda's stomach rumbled and, without another thought for Beemers, she turned from the park and made her way to the street. She would find a meal that would not fight back. Then she would go home.

Dawn got to Xander's apartment to find Willow and Kennedy banging on the door. Her eyebrows rose in surprise. From what she had overheard of Buffy and Willow's phone conversation earlier today, those two had definite romantic plans for tonight.

"Willow! Kennedy!" she shouted out. She ran up to the pair. "What's going on? Why aren't you two home, you know, being couple-y?"

"Dawn, oh thank God it's you," Willow said when Dawn got closer. "Do you have that spare key to Xander's he gave you?"

"Yeah."

"We need it."

"What for?"

"Just let us use it!" Willow snapped.

Dawn jumped a little at her tone, but dug into her purse for the key Xander had given her for emergency use. "Emergency" meaning things at the Summers' house getting too tense. She held out the key and Willow snatched it from her. The redhead spun on her heel and jammed the key into the lock impatiently.

Kennedy leaned close to Dawn and whispered, "Don't worry about it. Willow's just worried about Xander. And I'm a little worried about Faith."

"Faith can take care of herself," Willow spat. "Xander, on the other hand…"

Dawn was about to ask what was going on when Willow unlocked the door and opened it. All three women gasped in shock. Xander lay in the entranceway, a small puddle of blood leaking from his neck. No one could tell if he was breathing.

Faith leaned against the wall in the living room, her face puffed and bruised, blood dribbling out of her mouth and down her chin. Her clothing was torn and bloodied, and her breathing was shallow and pained.

Willow was the first to snap out of her shocked state. With a strangled yelp, she jumped into the apartment, falling to her knees to check on Xander. She felt his neck, finding a weak and erratic pulse.

"Ohmigod, Kennedy call 9-1-1!"

Kennedy scuttled around Willow and grabbed the phone. As she dialed, Dawn walked into the apartment with a dazed look on her face. She took in the tableau before her, not really comprehending what was going on.

"Those are vampire wounds," she murmured to no one in particular. "How did Xander get vampire wounds inside his apartment?"

"And how did Faith get so beat up?" Kennedy asked. She was looking over the scene, having heard Dawn with her advanced Slayer hearing.

"Who cares!" Willow snapped. "Is the ambulance on its way?"

"Yes," Kennedy answered. "They'll be here in five minutes."

"Five minutes?" Willow screamed. "Xander could be dead in five minutes."

"Hey, that's what they told me," Kennedy snapped back.

"What the hell happened here?"

The three women in the apartment turned to see Buffy in the doorway. Her mouth was open, aghast in horror. She looked at her two wounded friends, her sister whose missing date was now lying dead in a park, her fellow Slayer, and her best friend. This was totally wrong on so many levels.

"What happened to Xander?" she asked.

"He got hurt," Dawn said in a tiny voice.

Willow began to sob uncontrollably. She slumped over Xander, hugging herself and rocking back and forth. Kennedy sat next to her, gathering the redhead in a comforting hug.

Buffy hated hospitals. Nothing good ever happened in them. She had only one good memory connected with a hospital, killing a demon that fed on sick children, and that was marred by making herself so feverishly sick she could hardly walk for three days.

Now one of her bestest best buds was in the Intensive Care Unit. So was a fellow Slayer. Faith was not one of Buffy's best friends, their spotted history was in the way, but she was steadily getting there.

Xander received a blood transfusion. Now he was on a saline drip and a bunch of therapies Buffy could not even begin to pronounce, just to make sure he was okay.

The doctors were surprised Faith was not dead. The damage inflicted on her was massive. All her organs were injured. Her liver, spleen, and stomach were bruised. Her appendix burst, prompting emergency surgery. Her gallbladder and small intestine were operated on to minimize swelling. The doctors said more surgery might be needed. Faith was barely alive; her Slayer's healing overtaxed for the moment. She was on a morphine drip along with a batch of drugs that, surprise, Buffy could not pronounce.

Buffy was standing outside Xander's room. A glass wall kept her separated from her friend. With two steps to her left, she could look in on Faith, as well. Silently, she kept vigil on them. Which was how Willow found her mid-morning.

"The doctors said he lost a lot of blood, almost three pints. But he got here just in time." Willow stepped to the glass wall, side-by-side with Buffy.

"Vampires tend to do that to people," Buffy's tone was low. With the last word, her voice cracked.

"A few more seconds of being drained, or a couple more minutes without medical attention and he'd be–"

"Dead. I know."

Both women sniffled and fought back tears. They stood in silence for a few minutes.

"What happened?" Buffy asked quietly.

"I don't know for sure," Willow answered. "Faith called and told Kennedy to come to their apartment. She said they'd been attacked. It sounded urgent to Kennedy. We got there and found them the way you saw them. We called 9-1-1."

"There's got to be more to it than that," Buffy said. "Why would Xander, or Faith even, invite a vampire into their apartment? And what kind of vampire could hurt Faith that way?"

"What about that Henry guy she and Kennedy fought the other day. He cleaned their clocks pretty good."

"But they wouldn't have let him in."

"Unless he beat up Faith and forced Xander to invite him in," Willow offered.

"That could be what happened," Buffy conceded. "I don't know, though. Something just doesn't add up about all this." She sidestepped until she could see both Xander and Faith by merely turning her head.

Two of her friends almost killed by a vampire in their own home. Dawn and her date attacked, her date dying. Buffy added it up and did not like what she saw. There were no such things as coincidences. Whatever happened last night was the beginning of something bad. She turned her head to regard Willow.

"Where's Dawn?"

"She's in the lounge down the hall with Kennedy."

Buffy nodded and walked past Willow. Her own footsteps echoed hollowly in her ears. Her mind was fogged over with fear and worry for her friends, but she just knew, with a nagging feeling of surety in her gut, something was going on. She had to talk to Dawn to find out what happened to her last night. Maybe the pieces would start to fall into place. She hoped they would.

She entered the lounge, Willow right behind her. Buffy's gaze swept the room, coming to rest on her sister. Dawn sat with a Styrofoam cup in her hand, staring into the black liquid sadly.

Buffy walked over to her, squatted down, and hugged her tight. Dawn put the cup of coffee down and hugged Buffy back. Then the younger Summers began to cry. Buffy made soothing noises and stroked her hair.

"Thank God," Kennedy whispered to Willow. "She's been almost catatonic since we got here."

"She just needs to let it all out. Whatever else happened to her last night must have been bad."

Dawn hiccupped a few times. She pulled back from Buffy, wiped her face with the back of her hands and tried to smile. Buffy put her hand on Dawn's shoulder.

"It was bad, all right," Dawn said through the last of her tears. "First Cody, then Xander and Faith."

"What happened Dawn?" Buffy asked as gently as she could.

"Cody and I were walking to the party–"

"Through the park?" Willow blurted.

"It's a shortcut," Dawn said automatically. "Anyway, we were going through the park when we were attacked by two vampires. One was a short man, the other was a woman." She stopped and looked at Buffy, "It was Amanda, the potential-turned-Slayer who helped you beat down the First."

"Are you sure?" Kennedy asked. Buffy sat looking like she just got kicked in the stomach by a mule.

"Absolutely sure," Dawn replied. "No mistaking her face and voice, is there?"

"Not after living with her a couple months," Kennedy affirmed.

"So, what happened?" Willow asked.

"The guy grabbed Cody. Amanda came after me," she motioned to Buffy. "I had that cross you made me wear and a bottle of holy water in my purse. I guess I must've surprised her or something. But I got away and ran to Xander's. That's when…"

She trailed off and began crying again. Buffy hugged her close, murmuring soft soothing noises and stroking her hair again. She looked over her sister's head at Willow. The two friends shared a look that was equal parts sadness, anger, and determination.

After holding Dawn for a minute, Buffy pulled back. She smiled and patted her little sister on the shoulder. She was about to get up and take Willow with her into another room to figure out a plan, when an orderly approached them.

"Ms. Rosenberg?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Harris is awake and he insists on seeing you."

"Thank you."

Without another word, the four young women left the lounge and made their way to Xander's room. His eyes were glassed over a little, but he smiled broadly when he saw them. He motioned for them to come closer. When they surrounded the bed, he spoke.

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to conk out soon," he began. "So please listen without interrupting. The vampire that attacked me and Faith was Rhona. You know, the short black potential who lived with us back in Sunnydale for a while. She came in–"

"Are you sure?" Buffy cut him off.

"Yes," his voice came out as a whisper. He could not fight the drugs anymore, and fell back to sleep.

"So, that's two Slayers going around as vampires in one night," Kennedy said.

"In one city," Willow added. "A city they weren't supposed to be in."

"Something's definitely up," Buffy stated.

"The question is: what?" Kennedy said.

Amanda and Rhona both stood in front of the Mistress' throne. Meekly chastised looks were plastered on their faces. They kept their heads down, not daring to look up. Behind them, arranged in a semi-circle, were the rest of the Mistress' children.

It was mid-afternoon and the Mistress herself was seated on her throne. Her tail was coiled on the seat with her torso leaning against the back. Her claws rhythmically clicked the armrests as she regarded her youngest children.

"So you, Amanda, go hunting and are burned by a little girl?" she spoke softly. "Not once, but twice. And you, Rhona, thwarted by a simple cross, held by a near-dead human? I am truly disappointed in the both of you."

"Mistress I–" Rhona began.

"Silence! You will stay here, in this building and you both will train. You will both hone your abilities and powers until I am satisfied. Then you can venture forth into the night."

"But–" Rhona tried again.

"Enough! You shall train with Clare and Scott. As you know already, their training is intense. Perhaps you will be able to go out and not be so pathetic when they are done with you."

Rhona and Amanda nodded. The cross-shaped brand on Amanda's cheek was an ugly pink, nearly healed. The splatter marks from the holy water were all but gone. She was chastised enough that she took whatever punishment assigned her. The two former Slayers followed Clare and Scott out of the throne room.

When the four were out of the room and the door shut behind them, the Mistress turned to her family.

"Lucinda, where is Beemers?"

"Amanda told me the Slayer got him." Lucinda said with a hitch in her voice. She and Beemers had been lovers for the past forty years.

"Slayers," the Mistress spat the word. "A burr in my foot through the ages." She shrugged her shoulders, "Proverbial, of course."

She smiled. Her children chuckled.

"Horace!" she called out.

"Yes, Mistress," he stepped forward as she singled him out.

"Have you found the mine, yet?"

"Yes, Mistress," he answered. "The Rowling Salt Mine. I had to torture a few lesser vampires from around here to find that out, but I did it."

His smile showed just how much he did not regret resorting to torture. Knowing Horace, he most likely started out with torturing. Ah, no loss. Any vampire not in her clan or of her descendents was expendable. In fact, the Mistress was known for letting her children kill all vampires not related to them in any area they moved to. This went against conventional vampire custom, but when you were as old as the Mistress was, you did what you damn well pleased; you were custom.

"Good," she said. "Take half of my children with you tonight and begin your little project. But do not attract the attention of these Slayers."

"Yes, Mistress," he bowed low. "As you command, so shall it be."

"Of course," she waved her hand in a dismissive gesture.

Horace began to gather up the work force he wanted for the night. Not surprising, he chose Lucinda and Cedric first, sneering as he motioned for them to move along.

"One way or another I shall be free of this Slayer," the Mistress said. "And I shall be free of her soon."

When the workforce began to troop out, the Mistress lifted her head and looked at those departing.

"Lucinda! Henry! Cedric!"

The three named vampires stopped and turned to face her. Horace stayed at his spot near the door.

"Find three others to replace them tonight," the Mistress addressed Horace. "They can go tomorrow night." She looked at three of her favorite children and smiled, "I have other tasks for them to perform tonight."

"Yes, Mistress." The petulant tone in his voice spoiled Horace's obedience.

"Five gets my last piece out," Kennedy said. "And one, two, three gets this one home. Your move."

Inside Xander's room Kennedy and Willow were playing Parcheesi. Well, Kennedy was playing; Willow was staring into the space just above Xander's head most of the time.

"Willow."

"Huh?"

"It's your turn."

"Oh, right." Willow picked up the dice and put them in the rolling tube. She rattled the dice in the cardboard container, but dropped her hand to the table listlessly without throwing them.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just worried."

"I know, but Xander's fine. He'll pull through. The doctors said he's out of danger, now."

"But I still worry," Willow said. "I mean…"

"Of course you're still worried," Kennedy said when Willow trailed off. She got up and hugged her girlfriend close. "He's your friend. That's why we're here. If you weren't worried, you wouldn't be the Willow I love."

They held each other for a few moments. Willow pulled back and looked at Xander. A small, sad smile formed on her lips.

"He looks so peaceful," she said.

"He's going to be okay. It's Faith I'm worried about."

"What about Faith?" Xander asked in a scratchy voice. "Is she okay?"

"Xander! You're awake!" Willow exclaimed. She jumped up from her seat and rushed to give him a hug.

"Seems so," he said. "Easy, Will, I still need to breathe."

"I was so worried," Willow said as she stepped back. "Don't you ever die on me, Alexander LaVelle Harris!"

"I'll try to keep that in mind," he replied with a smile. His face grew serious, "What's wrong with Faith?"

"She's in a bad way," Kennedy said when Willow was reluctant to answer.

"How bad?"

"She nearly died," Willow whispered. She knew that Xander felt deeply for Faith, more so than he would admit to anyone.

"She's next door," Kennedy added. "They had to operate on her and she's still recovering."

"But Slayer healing–"

"Barely kept her alive long enough to get her here," Kennedy cut in.

"Son of a bitch!" Xander cursed.

"I agree," Buffy said as she joined them. She gave Xander a hug. "Only, in this case, it was just a bitch, right?"

"Right," he looked perplexed. "Did I tell you it was Rhona?"

"This morning."

"I did? Wow, I must have been out of it."

"So it wasn't her?"

"No, it was," he said. "I mean, I must've been out of it to not remember telling you who put two big bite marks in my neck." He motioned between himself and Buffy enthusiastically, "Hey! Now we're matching."

"Believe me, I wish we weren't," Buffy said.

"Xander!"

Dawn came running to his side. She held him close in a bear hug. A very happy smile split her features.

"Okay, got to take it easy on hospital-bed-ridden-guy," Xander said with a grunt.

"Sorry," she let go and backed up with a sheepish look. "When I saw … I just … I got so scared."

"Hey, if I saw me on the floor, bleeding from the neck, I'd get scared, too." Xander thought about what he just said, "Of course I'd be scared. I'd be freaking out, 'cause I'd be dead!"

"Don't talk like that," Willow scolded. "You may be doing better, but you're not out of the woods, yet."

"Yeah, you don't have super healing powers to replenish your blood," Kennedy pointed out.

"Yeah, so you just rest," Buffy said. She squeezed his hand once. "Don't worry, we'll take care of this."

"What are you going to do?"

"Me and Kennedy are going to find them, and dust them."

"Pretty simple, really."

In the gym area of the old Marcincko Mental Hospital, Clare and Scott were putting Rhona and Amanda through their paces. The two older vampires were attacking the two former Slayers with everything they had. Clare and Scott would call out ways the girls could improve their technique as their fists and feet flew. Sweat rolled out all four vampire's skin.

With a roar, Rhona tackled Scott. The pair rolled on the ground, scratching, punching, and kicking.

Amanda feinted a punch, dropped to one knee, and performed a leg-sweep on Clare. The short blonde fell onto her back, the wind knocked out of her. Amanda pounced, landing on Clare, pinning her down.

"Good," Clare said. "Very good. Now let me up."

Amanda considered ignoring the request. After leaving the throne room, she found her chastised spirit leaving her quickly. Still, disobeying a direct order from Clare right now probably ranked up there in the not-too-smart meter.

Amanda jumped to her feet and put out a hand to help Clare up. The blonde took the offered hand, and Amanda hoisted her to her feet.

Scott and Rhona joined them, each holding a weapon. Scott was wielding a long-bladed knife, nearly a sword. Rhona had a small ax with a blade big enough to decapitate someone.

Clare took the ax from Rhona. She and Scott faced the two former Slayers.

"You two have improved considerably since this morning. Now let's see how you do with weapons," Clare said.

"Once more, we fight," Scott said as they advanced.

"Whoa, we're un-armed here," Amanda said. She and Rhona backed away, their hands held up in front of them.

"Take our weapons, and you won't be," Clare stated flatly.

The vampire went flying into the wall, bouncing off of it and falling with a thud on the pavement. Kennedy stalked up to his prone form.

"Oh, come on, I've known Halbrin demons that could take more of a pummeling than you."

The vampire jumped to his feet, trying to take Kennedy by surprise. She rolled her eyes and backhanded him into the wall. Before he could slump down, she pinned him against the wall by the throat.

"Now, are you going to tell me what I need to know, or am I going to need to get violent?"

The vampire's eyes bulged with disbelief. His lip was split, his knee hyper-extended, and his right eye blackened. If this was not violent, he did not want to see what was.

"I'd tell her if I were you," Buffy said as she joined them. "'Cause I'm getting seriously cranky and I won't be so nice."

"Okay, I've heard things," he said. Kennedy let up on the pressure to his throat, but only slightly.

"What things?" she asked.

"There's a new vampire clan in town."

"Don't you mean vampire gang?" Buffy asked.

"No, I mean clan. They're so tight-knit; it's like they're a family. I've never seen anything like it."

"So you've seen it, not just heard of it," Kennedy said.

"Well, I've seen a few of them around. But I don't get too close. Word is, they kill vampires that don't belong to them."

"Where can we find them?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know." When Kennedy applied pressure to his throat, he gasped, "Honest, I don't know! Even if I did, you don't want to mess with them."

"Ahw, isn't it sweet when a vampire shows concern for a Slayer?" Kennedy asked with sarcasm. She loosened her hold, but her face became blank. "Why don't we want to mess with them?"

"Because, they're all Master vampires."

Buffy barked out a laugh. "You're kidding, right? A whole clan of Master vampires?"

"Masters don't generally hang out together," Kennedy said. "It's a whole power and trust issue."

"Hey, I told you, I seen 'em."

"And you can tell a Master vampire on sight?" Kennedy asked incredulously.

"All vampires can, if they try. Look, I'm a fairly young vampire, so I don't know a lot about all the myths and legends and whatnot within the vampire community. But after Bane showed up, I started doing some digging. A buddy of mine even went to Europe to find some elders."

"And?" Buffy prompted.

"And we found some pretty spooky stuff."

"Such as?" Buffy was starting to lose her patience.

"Well, there's Bane. Then there's this vampire Lord who's so strong, whoever she sires instantly becomes a Master vampire."

"Really?" Kennedy asked.

"Yeah. But, she's so strong, she rules over them and controls them so it's like they don't have wills of their own."

"So, a clan of Master vampires would belong to her," Buffy concluded.

"And she'd be with them."

"Anything else about her?" Kennedy asked.

"There is nothing else." Kennedy increased the pressure, and he yelped, "I swear!"

"I believe him," Buffy said.

"Me, too," Kennedy agreed.

"What about two Slayers turned into vampires?" Buffy asked. "I'm sure you heard about that, right?"

"If there was two Slayers who are now vampires, my money is they're with her."

"But you don't know." Kennedy was frustrated.

"No. No one knows what goes on with those guys."

"Okay," Kennedy let him down and turned away.

He began brushing his clothes off.

"Oh, you don't happen to know this vampire Lord's name, do you?" Buffy asked.

He looked up. "She calls herself the Mistress."

"You're kidding? Like the Master?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah. Only he got the idea from her."

"But you don't know what her real name is?" Kennedy asked.

"Nope. Can't help you there."

"Then what good are you?" Buffy asked. She stepped forward and plunged a stake into his heart. She turned away and began walking with Kennedy.

"That's the ninth vamp we've dusted tonight after getting them to talk," Buffy said. "He was the most informative."

"And we still don't know jack."

"What say we head back to the hospital to check on Xander and Faith?"

"I say that's a good idea," Kennedy replied. "After a quick stop to pick up some research material."

In the old Marcincko Mental Hospital, Amanda entered a patient room behind Clare. Both women looked worse for wear, with gashes in their clothing and cuts and bruises marking their skin. The Mistress was right; Scott and Clare's training was intense, both for the trainee and the trainer. But, those who trained with Scott and Clare learned their lessons fast, and learned them well; they survived more fights than those who refused to go through the grueling conditioning.

The battle training was over. Now the two young vampires were being taught to use different aspects of their powers. Scott took Rhona and Clare took Amanda, since it was best for them to try their powers separately.

Inside the room were four fresh corpses. Each corpse was in a different corner of the room. They were drained, for the most part. Each had a small amount of blood that dribbled out of the puncture wounds in their neck, creating a pool of blood in the center of the floor. Clare pointed to the pool of blood, then at the bodies.

"I want you to tell me if the line of blood leading up to each body belongs to that corpse, or not," she said.

"What?"

"Start at the pool of blood. You should be able to see and smell the difference in each person's blood. Follow one path to a body, and see if that body was the owner of that blood."

"You're joking."

"No," Clare's voice was even. "It's a simple thing to do for a vampire of your power. As a Slayer, you were above most vampires, becoming one of us made you even more powerful. Being sired by the Mistress, you can be a Lord in less than a century."

"A Lord?" The previous day, Cedric told she and Rhona about the Mistress, which meant he had to explain the difference between a Master and a Lord.

"Yes," Clare confirmed. "But to do so, you must utilize all your powers. This is one of them. Try it. I can do it easily."

Amanda gave her a dubious look. Clare's eyebrows rose and she motioned for the younger woman to go ahead. Amanda took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

Xander and Dawn were playing Parcheesi when Kennedy and Buffy showed up. Xander had a healthy flush to his cheeks, and was laughing with Dawn when the two Slayers entered the room. Buffy threw her coat over one of the chairs before sitting down in it.

"Oh good, more players," he said with a big smile. "Now someone else can let Dawn win."

"No thanks," Buffy said with a smile of her own. "I don't like Parcheesi. Bad memories."

"I was beating you fair and square," Dawn told Xander.

"Ahw, I can't fool you," Xander replied. "Board games aren't my thing. Everybody beats me at them."

"Where's Willow?" Kennedy asked.

"She's visiting Faith," Dawn answered. "She isn't awake yet, but Willow wanted to be there in case she did wake up."

"Last time Faith was in a hospital, she was in a coma. Willow doesn't want her to wake up alone and confused," Xander added.

"That's a good idea," Buffy said.

"Leave it to Willow," Kennedy agreed. She hefted the books in her hands, "Well, I'm going to check on my girl. Maybe we'll get some research done."

"Or maybe you'll get some smoochies in." Buffy teased.

Kennedy had the good grace to blush before exiting. Dawn and Xander chuckled at her non-verbal admission. Buffy crowed with laughter.

"So, what's new on the home front?" Xander asked, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Dusted vampires who used to be Slayers, or what?"

"Or what," Buffy's smile was gone instantly.

"How about your fact-finding mission?" Dawn asked. "Find anything out?"

"Only that the vampires in this town don't know anything," Buffy replied.

"Nothing?" Dawn asked.

"Well, they all know there's a big group of Master vampires in town. They all think they're following this really old chick, and that she's the last vampire Lord. But they don't know her name, don't know where they are, and only THINK that Rhona and Amanda are a part of this big group."

"So what's the plan, now?"

"Well, if that Henry guy is one of those vampires, and if they're all like him, we've got a big problem."

"Plus Amanda and Rhona," Dawn said.

"Exactly."

"So what are you going to do?" Dawn asked.

"Get some coffee," Buffy answered. "It's going to be a long night."

"Get me some, too," Dawn said. "But could you go to the Starbucks down the street? This hospital stuff is nasty."

"I think I can do that," Buffy smiled. "I don't like hospital coffee, either."

Buffy got up and gave Xander a hug, "I'm so glad you're okay. You don't know how much."

"Thanks, Buff."

Buffy turned to leave. Behind her, Xander grabbed the bedside table, drawing it close.

"You ready to play another round of Parcheesi?" he asked Dawn. "The royal game of Indiana."

"India," she corrected him.

"Hm?"

"The royal game of India."

"Oh, right," Xander's tone was embarrassed.

Buffy laughed while she walked out, forgetting her coat.

Willow and Kennedy pulled apart for some much-needed air. They smiled goofily at each other.

"So, things went well?" Willow asked.

"Not so much, no."

"Then why the kiss?"

"Because I like you."

"Oh. Well yeah."

"We did get a name," Kennedy said. "Or more like a title. That's why I grabbed these books. We can do some research, see if we can find out who this Lord is."

"A Lord?"

"Yup."

"Well, if she's anything like Bane, I'm going for re-enforcement's." Willow stood, "I saw a Coke machine down the hall, you want one?"

"No, but you go ahead."

"I will," she gave Kennedy a kiss on the forehead and left the room.

Willow spotted Buffy down the hall, waiting for an elevator. She waved to her best friend, who returned the gesture. Willow turned to go down the hall in the opposite direction.

Buffy could not believe how slow the elevators were. There were two making their way up, but this was only the third floor. Finally, an elevator coming down opened. She stepped inside nodding politely to the other passengers as one of the elevators coming up reached the third floor.

Cedric, Lucinda, and Henry stepped out of the elevator as Buffy's closed. Henry looked around while Cedric and Lucinda spoke in moderately quiet voices.

"The Ik'lawce? How'd you get such an honor?"

"I don't know."

"And why did she have me and Henry witness it? Why not have all her children present?"

"Because some would be jealous," Henry said. "We're not. At least I'm not. Are you?"

"No," Lucinda replied. "Shocked, but not jealous."

"Yeah, well I received the Ik'lawce. Which means I'm a free Master."

"And soon, a Lord," Lucinda pointed out.

"Then how come I don't feel different?"

"Maybe you won't till tomorrow night," Henry suggested.

"Maybe," Cedric agreed. He looked at the signs on the wall indicating room numbers. He turned to his left and started walking. "It's this way."

"How do you know?" Lucinda asked.

"Would you trust me just this once? I am your senior."

"Only by a few decades. And what's that between friends?"

"The difference between needing a stake or a beheading to finish you off," Henry commented. "And I'm senior to both of you. Now, stop bickering."

Cedric gave Lucinda a withering look. "I checked the directory, remember? Humans are so efficient. Makes our job easier."

"Good thing, too," Henry said. "We've been to enough hospitals tonight."

"You just want your shot at one of those Slayers," Lucinda said.

"Of course."

"This is it," Cedric said. He pointed. "This room is the man Rhona tried to drain last night. That room there is the injured Slayer."

"Ooh, can I have her?" Henry asked.

"I thought you wanted a healthy Slayer," Cedric said.

"I just want a Slayer's blood. Nothing like it."

"Go ahead."

Henry's face morphed. Cedric and Lucinda followed suit. They reached for their respective doors.

Willow had her bottle of Coke in one hand, unscrewing the top with the other. She came around the corner, glanced up, and saw three vampires in the hallway. No, three vampires about to enter Xander's room.

She jumped forward, "Xander! Kennedy! There's vampires in the hall!"

The three vampires looked up. Henry had the doorknob turned all ready, so he simply barged into the room.

And came face-to-face with a very shocked Kennedy. He smiled. This was the Slayer from the other night he wanted to taste. Now he had his chance.

Kennedy recovered from her shock while Henry was still smiling over his chance to kill a Slayer. She reached forward, grabbed him by his jacket, and jumped backward. She knew from first-hand and painful experience that he was a wily one. She would not give him the chance to maneuver around her.

Her jump took her to the window. She spun on her heel and shoved with all her strength. Henry went flying through the window, but not before grabbing Kennedy and taking her with him.

Kennedy and Henry blew out of the hospital window, launched several yards out from the building before falling. Henry brought her close, elbowing her in the face and kneeing her in the gut and chest.

Kennedy responded by head-butting him twice. Looking at their trajectory, she made a hasty plan.

She pulled Henry close, ignoring his blows. The way they were falling, they would pass right by that fence, there. Just before passing it, Kennedy shoved Henry away from her as hard as she could.

He went flying toward the fence, right where Kennedy wanted him. He crashed through the chain link, but that was not what Kennedy was worried about. Luck was with her and she did get what she wanted. Henry's head was above the fencing, and he was decapitated by the razor wire topping the fence.

That was when Kennedy's luck ran out. Her landing was broken by a visitor's car. She smashed into the roof, folding the metal around her body. She hit with such force, though, that she bounced off the car and landed in the grass in front of the hospital.

She hit the ground spread-eagle. Her right arm was impaled on a six-inch high ornamental iron wrought fence. The pointed ends of the iron pickets pierced her wrist, her palm, and her forearm just below the elbow.

Kennedy passed out.

Cedric let go of the handle he was holding and moved to intercept Willow. Lucinda decided to kill the boy and finish the job they were assigned.

Xander and Dawn saw the doorknob moving. Then the door began to open. Dawn launched herself at the door. It slammed shut. She heard a growl, and the door banged against her, hard. She yelped.

Xander thudded against the door, shutting it once more. There was another growl and another shove from the other side of the door.

"Chair!" Xander yelled at Dawn.

She grabbed one of the chairs, the one with Buffy's coat still hanging from it, and wedged it under the door handle after Xander shoved it shut.

"Xander you shouldn't–"

"That thing gets in here and we both die," he panted. He shook his head slightly to clear it.

Another growl was all the warning they had before the vampire's hand came bursting through the door. Both humans jumped back a little from the shock. Xander fell over.

When Dawn bent to check on him, her head got too close to the door and the vampire got a fistful of Dawn's hair. Dawn screamed in pain and tried to pry the fingers out of her hair.

Lucinda grimaced in frustration, more at herself than the situation. Why was she wasting time trying to punch through the door when she could just knock it down?

Shaking her head ruefully, she released the hair she held and withdrew her arm. She looked at the door, deciding on where to hit it to make it fall down. Choosing the top, she wound up to strike.

There was a stabbing pain in her back, followed by one in her chest. She looked down to see a stake jutting out from just above her breasts, where her heart was. She looked up at Cedric, feeding on that redhead. That was the last thing she saw as she crumbled to dust.

Cedric moved like quicksilver. Before Willow knew he was there, he was behind her. She tried to move, but he stilled her with a long stroke of her scalp. He put one arm around her waist and the other on her shoulder. He leaned to whisper in her ear.

"Give your neck to me."

Willow obeyed instantly, tilting her head away from his. Cedric smiled. Maybe he could not feel the effects of the Ik'lawce, but they were there.

He snarled and brought his fangs down into the creamy flesh of her neck. Then he heard the sound of someone dusting a vampire. He looked up and saw a petite blonde holding a stake. But no Lucinda. He pulled his fangs out from the redhead and growled.

"Forgot my jacket," the blonde said. "Get away from my friend."

"Lucinda…" Cedric let go of Willow. She dropped like a rag doll. He took a step forward. "You die now."

The blonde brandished her stake and stood in a defensive stance. "Age before beauty."

Cedric considered her. The look in her eyes was pure fury. Only a fool faced a truly pissed-off Slayer. And Cedric was no fool. He would avenge Lucinda later.

"Another time," he said. He turned and sprinted down the hall.

Buffy dropped her guard and ran to Willow. Checking for a pulse, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Dawn!"

"Yeah?"

"Call the nurses! Willow's hurt bad!"


	9. Part 2 Chapter 4

Chapter IV

Buffy really hated hospitals. Now, four of her friends were patients. Xander was out of the ICU and no longer bed-ridden. He was visiting Faith and Willow alternately. The former was still unconscious; the latter was in and out, having received a blood transfusion after last night.

Kennedy was in the ICU. She had a concussion, major internal bleeding, and her right arm was rendered useless, due to three gaping wounds in it. The immediate prognosis was massive nerve, bone, and muscle damage. The doctors were surprised – yet again – that she was not dead. She was on a morphine drip with a lot of drugs to help speed the healing process.

Dawn approached Buffy slowly. She joined her sister in watching Xander hold Faith's hand and talk to the unconscious woman. Dawn touched her elbow and handed her a cup of Starbucks coffee.

"How's she doing?"

"Which she?"

"Any."

"Willow's past the danger zone," Buffy said. She took a sip of coffee, not tasting it.

"And Kennedy?"

"She's in critical condition. So is Faith, still."

"Wow. Slayer healing and all, huh?"

"Yeah."

"What are you going to do?"

"Find Rhona and Amanda and end this."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Go home," Buffy said. She looked at Dawn. "They can't hurt you there 'cause they can't get in. Please go home. You're the only one I love who hasn't been hurt yet."

"Okay."

"Promise."

"I promise."

Buffy spun on her heel and began walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"To do that finding thing."

In middle of the afternoon, Rhona stood against a wall, a stream of sunlight less than an inch away from her face. Her arms were crossed in front of her and her eyes closed. She tilted her head back to lean it against the wall.

…_when the last of the blood was pumped into her, Rhona's body convulsed violently. The spasmodic thrashings were so turbulent that she dug herself into the ground simply by her movements. After a few minutes, they stopped. Rhona the vampire Slayer was dead._

Rhona snapped out of her memory and looked around the room. In the doorway stood Cedric. She relaxed slightly.

"Good," he said. "Your instincts are better than I hoped they'd be so soon. Come on, the Mistress is waiting for you."

They began making their way to the throne room.

"Cedric, the other night, when I was this close to killing Xander and Faith, why couldn't I finish?"

"The twenty minutes was up."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Rhona, I am a very powerful vampire. You are my child. As your sire, I have the ability to compel you to certain actions. I told you to be back at that corner in twenty minutes. You had to obey."

"Will I have to obey no matter what, every time?"

"No. I have to concentrate on the order in a certain way. When you begin to sire children, you'll understand what I'm talking about. Otherwise, it's just too hard to explain."

"Oh."

"And this ability of mine will wear off on you in time. Given how powerful you already are, I'd say it shouldn't be more than a couple decades."

"That's all?" she asked with sarcasm.

"Twenty years is nothing to a vampire," he smiled. "But don't worry. You've trained with Scott and Clare, so now I don't have to worry about you. I won't be giving orders like that again."

"Just how powerful am I?"

"Like I told you yesterday, you're a Master vampire. When you kill that Slayer, Buffy, you'll be even more powerful. Slayer blood always makes us stronger."

"That's good to know," Rhona said with a smile.

They arrived at the door to the throne room. Cedric motioned her on.

"I cannot come with you," he said. "I have to get ready for my turn on the excavating crew. And I don't get to be off it until we find what we're looking for. Fallout from last night's catastrophe."

Rhona shook her head ruefully, "See, it's not just me."

"No, it's not."

Rhona smiled at him and entered the throne room. She found Amanda there already. Rhona hid her scowl. Amanda had probably been sitting outside the door by noon, waiting to be one of the first of the Mistress' children to see her. She most likely fawned all over the Mistress before Rhona arrived.

"Ah, good, you are here," the Mistress said. She smiled that fang-only smile of hers. Rhona could not stop the shiver that ran down her spine at the sight.

"Come here, my daughters."

They obeyed. The single lamp in the far corner of the room cast eerie shadows upon the Mistress' face.

"Night approaches. Can you feel it?"

"Yes, Mistress," they both said.

"Do you know why I brought the two of you into my family?"

"To kill Buffy, Mistress," Amanda said.

"Do you know why I want you to kill this Buffy?"

"No, Mistress."

"An oracle told me that my downfall would come at the hands of a Slayer on the Hellmouth. A Slayer who was a companion to death twice over. This oracle also informed me that this Slayer would multiply her kind throughout the world. Does any of this mean anything to you?"

"Well, Buffy did have Willow invoke the Slayer Legacy to make all Potentials Slayers," Rhona said. At the Mistress' look she added, "Mistress."

"And I think from what Dawn said, she died at least once, maybe twice, Mistress," Amanda added.

"Quite. And I found all this out through various means. Add to that the fact that she was free of one hellmouth and came to another. She is the Slayer of the Hellmouth, and I have lived too long to let some slip of a girl destroy me.

"The good news is that the oracle told me to beat this Slayer I would need to make another Slayer my ally." She motioned to them. "Thus, the two of you."

"Sounds like a plan," Amanda said. "Does this mean we get to kill Buffy now, Mistress?"

"Yes, it does."

The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon when Buffy knocked on the rectory door. Fr. McMillan opened it and looked at her in surprise.

"Buffy! Run out of holy water all ready?"

"No. I have plenty, thanks."

"Then why are you here?"

"Actually I feel kind of dumb," she began. "Can I ask a favor of you? It's kind of big."

"What is it? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, for now. I know you don't know me and I completely understand if you don't want to. But you're the only person I can turn to right now."

McMillan took a concerned step toward her. "Buffy, slow down. It's okay."

"It's not okay, that's the problem."

"Well, whatever you ask me, I'll try my best to do it."

Buffy took a deep breath, steeling her resolve. "I need you to get my sister out of Cleveland and someplace safe. Unless I tell you otherwise. And I need you to do it before sundown tomorrow."

"Dawn? You want me to get Dawn out of town? By tomorrow night?"

"Please." She stepped forward so she was under his chin. She looked up with pleading in her eyes. "I need someone to do it and my friends are all in the hospital."

"What happened to them?"

"It's complicated and I don't have time to explain. I know this is asking a lot and we've only talked that one time, but I feel like I can trust you." She thrust a package in his hands. "Here's a picture of her. And my address. There's some money stashed in the cabinet by the door, just in case."

"Buffy…What's going on?"

"I do not have time to explain. I need to know Dawn will be okay if I don't come home after tonight."

"That bad?"

"Worse." She shrugged her shoulders. "But I'm it."

"Not anymore, you're not."

"I am here in Cleveland."

Fr. McMillan bit his lip while considering. He looked down at the papers in his hand then at Buffy.

"That's a lot to ask," he said. "I mean, she's your sister and you hardly know me."

"Yes, she's my sister, and yes I don't know you. But you're a priest, and not a psycho one, so I figured you'd be trustworthy enough to take care of her. She's the most important thing in my life. She's more important to me than life."

"Then I promise to get her out of town and to safety. Even if I have to drag her kicking and screaming the whole way."

"Thanks," Buffy said. "Oh, and watch out for tasers and stun-guns. She likes to carry them."

"I will."

Buffy pointed to another sheet of paper in McMillan's hands, "And once you're gone, contact that man, Rupert Giles, and let him know what happened."

She turned to leave.

"Buffy, this worse? Anything I can to do help?"

She looked over her shoulder. "Pray for me."

Cemeteries used to be spooky to Rhona. That was before she became a Slayer. Then they were just a part of the job. Now, they were home.

She and Amanda were together, hunting Buffy. There was not doubt in either woman's mind that Buffy would be hunting for them tonight. After the attack on her friends the two previous nights, Buffy would need to be sedated to not come after the two former Slayers.

_All a part of my plan_, the Mistress told them earlier today. _Attack those she loves, make her feel vulnerable and then goad her into action by taking all she holds dear away from her. Thus, why I chose two Slayers she knew beforehand. You knew whom to attack to hurt her the most._

So while Buffy was hunting them, they were ready for her. They picked their way through the headstones.

"You're late," they heard a voice call out.

They turned and saw Buffy leaning against a headstone. "What took you two so long?"

"We had to put our make-up on," Amanda said.

"Wanted to look our best for when we kill you," Rhona added, as they made their way toward Buffy.

"Well, with the new look you two got, I don't think make-up will help."

"You look really pissed, Buffy. You sure you're okay?" Amanda asked.

"Oh, I'm beyond pissed," Buffy said. "And you two are so going to die."

"We're all ready dead," Amanda pointed out.

"Dust, then."

"You think you can take both of us?" Rhona asked. "When Faith got her ass kicked by just me?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Wow, you really are so full of yourself," Amanda said.

The three women were now only ten feet apart.

"Let's get this over with," Rhona said.

"I agree."

Rhona stepped forward, her arm behind Amanda's back. Amanda jerked upright, a look of shock overcoming her face. She turned to glare at Rhona. She crumbled into ash.

Rhona was holding a stake. She shrugged and looked at Buffy.

"She always did bug me. And she only got worse as a vampire. So what do you say? We just live and let live? I'm willing to walk away, here."

"You think it's that easy? You're a vampire."

"So I've noticed."

"I can't just let you go to hurt and kill innocent people."

"You can't beat me, either."

"No one messes with my family."

"Xander isn't your family. Neither is Faith."

"They're more family to me than most blood relatives ever could be. And you shouldn't have gone after them."

Rhona brandished her stake. "I'm betting this'll kill you just as quick as it killed Amanda."

Buffy stood up from the tombstone, reached behind it, and pulled out a long-handled ax.

"Well, come on, Rhona. Stake me."

Dawn answered the door to find a tall, good-looking priest standing on the porch.

"Hi, I'm Father Rory McMillan. Buffy got some holy water from me the other night."

"Hi," Dawn replied.

"She came to see me just a little bit ago. Do you know what's going on?"

"Uh-huh."

"Do you mind if I come in and you tell me what's happening?"

"No. You can stay right there."

"Fair enough," McMillan said. He sat down cross-legged on the wooden porch just outside the doorjamb. "How about now?"

Dawn smiled weakly.

Buffy was hurting. Rhona was bruised. Buffy's ax handle was broken and Rhona's stake was gone. Buffy was favoring her left side, where a well-placed kick from Rhona bruised her kidney.

Buffy took a swipe with the ax, which Rhona dodged. Buffy lashed out with her foot. Rhona blocked it. Buffy spun and went for an elbow to Rhona's face. She missed.

She tried with the ax again. Rhona dodged it and as it passed her, she grabbed the handle. She yanked and it went flying out of Buffy's hands to imbed itself in a headstone with a shower of sparks.

Buffy kneed Rhona in the chest. She followed up with a quick jab to the face. Rhona stumbled back from the assault, but recovered fast. When Buffy performed a jumping kick, Rhona sidestepped and hit Buffy with a quick and brutal jab of her own.

Buffy fell to the ground in an ungraceful heap. Rhona picked her up and threw her into the side of a large crypt. Buffy slid down the wall and remained at the bottom. Rhona picked her up again and pitched her headfirst toward a headstone. Buffy broke the granite slab as she flew through it.

Buffy struggled to her hands and knees. Rhona stalked slowly toward her. Buffy shook her head to clear it. Rhona heaved Buffy to her feet, her hand cocked back to strike.

Buffy held up the cross she had hidden in her waistband. Rhona stepped back hastily with a hiss. Buffy began to back Rhona up.

"Why, Rhona? Why a vampire? Was it just to get at me? To be better than me in a fight?"

Rhona rolled her eyes skyward. "Get over yourself. Not everything is about you. Do you think I wanted this? Asked for it? No. It was forced on me! I was violated! I didn't even get a choice."

Rhona brushed into the forgotten ax that was sticking out of the headstone. She pulled it free.

"But now I'm stuck like this," she said. "Might as well make the best of a bad situation."

She advanced and Buffy retreated, the cross still between them.

"She doesn't think she'll survive, does she?"

"No, she doesn't," McMillan replied.

Dawn was sitting in a dining chair, just inside the door, out of reach of McMillan. He was still seated on the porch, cross-legged.

"That's why you're here, isn't it? Just…Just in case."

"Yeah."

"What can we do?"

Rhona swung the ax, chopping the cross in two. Buffy dove at Rhona, effectively eliminating the weapon as a factor. The two women fell to the ground, rolling and punching. The ax was left behind.

"I've said a prayer," McMillan said. "Actually, I've said a few for her. If you want…"

"Prayer's really not my thing."

"Right, okay," he let it drop. "Tell me about Buffy."

"She's Buffy," Dawn said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Strong, tough, resilient. Always putting others first. Even if it seems like she's being a bossy bitch." She clamped her hand over her mouth, "Oops, sorry."

"No problem," McMillan said with a smile.

Rhona was searching through the cemetery. Somehow, Buffy had got away from her. She doubted the Slayer was gone, so she had to be hiding.

"Come on, Buffy. Don't make this harder than it is. I'll make it quick for old time's sake."

Buffy heard her. She was behind an average-sized tombstone, huddled to reduce her profile. In one hand she clutched the broken-off handle of her ax.

"You know, when I'm done here, I think I'll go to the hospital and finish what I started on Xander. He did taste pretty good. Then I'll go for Faith. Her being all-helpless after I beat the shit out her. I was told Slayer blood really makes you strong."

Rhona continued looking among the stones. Buffy's grip in the wooden handle tightened so much her knuckles turned white and cracked. Rhona stooped to pick up the fallen ax.

"Then I think I'll go after Dawn. Maybe I'll turn her. I mean, she's shown a lot of guts and even more resourcefulness in the past. She'd make one hell of a vampire."

Buffy's face darkened. Her lips pressed together tightly and her grip, tight as it was, tensed even more. She barely stopped herself from jumping onto her feet.

"Buffy, this game of cat and mouse is pointless. You can't take me."

Rhona reached Buffy's hiding spot. The blonde jumped up and grabbed the ax with one hand, stopping Rhona from swinging it. Rhona looked shocked.

"Wanna bet?" Buffy asked.

She plunged her other hand at Rhona, the ax handle's pointy end aimed for the heart. Rhona grabbed Buffy by the wrist millimeters from impact. She smiled evilly.

"Wagering your life on it."

Rhona snarled and threw Buffy over a few headstones. The weapons each woman was holding went flying into the darkness. Buffy landed with a thud. Rhona sprinted to Buffy.

"She's always rushing into danger, you know?" Dawn told Fr. McMillan

Rhona bent down to punch Buffy, but received a two-footed kick to the face instead. Buffy rolled over and jumped to her feet, wincing in pain. She attacked, Rhona defended.

"I mean, she's saved me so many times. Usually from myself. And the world, she's saved it too many times to count," Dawn said.

Rhona broke through Buffy's attack by jumping forward, shoulder-first. Buffy was barreled over. She rolled to one side, stopping when she ran into a metal flower hanger. She stood, pulling the hanger out of the ground with her.

Rhona approached. Buffy used the hanger as a weapon, beating the shorter woman with it.

"She's sacrificed so much of her life." Dawn continued. "Parties, friends, you know, normal stuff. She shouldn't have to lose her life, too. I mean, she already has before. This isn't fair."

Rhona caught the metal hanger, all bent from hitting her, and threw it aside. Jumping forward, she smashed her fist into Buffy's jaw. Buffy fell back onto her butt.

"She's a superhero," Dawn stated.

Rhona slammed Buffy against a tree, back first. She held her up against the tree, one hand around her throat, choking the life out of her.

"Now who's going to be her hero?" Dawn asked.

Rhona released Buffy. She fell to the ground, wheezing and coughing. Rhona stomped on her back, forcing her face into the ground. Buffy pushed herself onto her hands and knees when Rhona let up the pressure.

Rhona walked around Buffy. She stepped in and kicked her in the stomach. The blow sent Buffy flying. She hit a tombstone and used it to stand. Rhona sauntered up to the weary and battle-worsened Buffy.

"Who's going to save her?" Dawn asked.

Fr. McMillan bit his lower lip thoughtfully and shook his head sadly.

Suddenly, Rhona whirled around. She caught the crossbow bolt that was intended for her heart just before it could enter her torso. She tossed the offending wood away.

"Who's out there?"

Giles stepped out from the shadows, an empty crossbow in his hand.

"Oh, it's you."

"Yes, it's me," he said. "I'm here to stop a vampire who's trying to kill my Slayer."

"Well, I sure hope you brought more ammunition than that."

"He brought me."

Vi stepped out from behind Giles. She carried the Slayer's Scythe and she wore a crooked smirk.

"Hello, Rhona."

Rhona gathered herself to attack. Before she could, Buffy tackled her from behind, the discarded crossbow bolt in her hand. She rammed the bolt home, and Rhona let out a cry of pain when it entered her chest. But Buffy missed her heart by inches.

Rhona's cry of pain became a laugh of mockery. She flung Buffy aside and stood. When she did, Vi met her with the Slayer's Scythe. The thin Slayer wasted no time, decapitating Rhona before she knew what was happening to her.

Giles, followed soon by Vi, were standing over Buffy. She was bruised and tattered, but she was alive and conscious. She smiled through the pain radiating through her body.

"Perfect timing."

Buffy promptly lost consciousness.

Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, Dawn, and Vi, were all present when Faith and then Kennedy woke up. Willow was fine after one night. She and Xander were forced to sit in the only chairs in the room.

Faith was tired, as was to be expected after such extensive damage and even more extensive surgeries. She was thirsty, and in her own words, "hungrier than if I'd just killed a whole nest of Lords by myself." Her Slayer healing finally kicked in sometime during the night. She shocked the doctors with her test results. Solid food was not forthcoming soon, so she just had to live without until Buffy could sneak some in.

Kennedy was in better shape when she was admitted, so her Slaying powers compensated right away. She woke up only ten minutes after Faith. Her arm would be next to useless for a while. The ornamental spikes that pierced her arm did considerable damage. All three went through bone and muscle. The main nerve in her forearm was severed in two places. Not even Giles saw her getting away without physical therapy. And he was not sure if she would recover full use of her arm, Slayer healing or not. Other than that, she was mending fine.

"So that's it? No more Rhona or Amanda?" Kennedy asked when Buffy was done explaining, for the third time that day, what happened.

"Yup. No more vampires-who-should-be-Slayers," Buffy confirmed. "It was tough."

"We could tell by the bruising," Faith said. She was in a wheelchair beside Kennedy's bed.

"It's a good thing you guys showed up," Xander said to Giles and Vi.

"Yeah, or else we'd have one less Buffy in the world today," Willow added brightly to cover her nervousness at the prospect.

"And I'd be gone before sundown, whether I liked it or not," Dawn said.

"Well, I for one am happy on all accounts. Buffy being of the living and Dawn being of the Cleveland metropolitan area," Xander said.

"What was that all about, anyway? Dawn leaving?" Giles asked.

"It's a long story," Buffy deflected.

"Buffy had a contingency plan," Dawn stated.

"Apparently not that long," Buffy corrected herself. She looked over at Giles. "Just happened to be in the right graveyard at the right time, in a town you weren't supposed to be in? That sure was lucky on my part."

"Well, us being in the right cemetery was fortuitous," Giles said. "As for knowing we were needed here, you have Dawn to thank for that. She rang me yesterday and informed me that I was needed here with as many Slayers I could manage as soon as possible."

"And I was all he could find in time," Vi finished.

"When did you call Giles?" Buffy asked Dawn.

"After you left the hospital and sent me home," Dawn answered. "It's a good thing I did, too."

"Thank you."

Dawn beamed.

The Mistress' throne room was deathly quiet. Her children stood before her, arranged in their usual semi-circle. She drummed her fingers on the armrest of her throne with anger and impatience. Cedric strode in, followed by three other vampires.

"Any news?" she asked.

"Killed by the Slayer, Mistress," he answered.

The Mistress growled in anger. Her mood reflected in her children.

"This Slayer is a wily one. She survives two very powerful vampires and kills them in the process." She looked over their heads, contemplating her next move.

"This Slayer will not be my downfall," she stated after a long pause.

"No, Mistress," all her children intoned together.


	10. Part 3 Chapter 1

Part 3

The Name Game

Chapter I

The cold only got worse in January. How people could live where it got colder than this was a mystery to Buffy. She could barely stand being outside for long periods of time.

Luckily for her, she was occupied and creating a sweat, so heat was not a factor at the moment. Unluckily for her, she was fighting a losing battle against two very powerful vampires. One was a short blonde woman, the other a tall blonde man.

"Are you sure this is the Slayer the Mistress is so worried about?" the man asked his companion.

"She does seem rather weak and slow," the woman commented as she dodged a punch from Buffy.

"Why did we bump into her, again?" the man asked as he landed a kick past Buffy's defenses. She staggered back three paces.

"Because the Mistress sent us for her food," the woman answered. "Honestly Scott, I'd think you'd remember that."

"Right, food. Sorry, Clare." He jumped forward, twisted to avoid the stake Buffy was holding, and elbowed her in the chin. She fell onto her back.

"Right then, time to kill this little Slayer and get something for the Mistress to eat," Clare said.

Scott picked Buffy up and held her around the neck with one hand. "This sure beats digging duty any night of the week."

"Digging for what?" Buffy asked. "Where?"

"Even though I'm going to kill you, I'm not going to tell," Scott told her. "The night has too many ears."

"In that case, this is pointless," Buffy said. She raised her voice, "Anytime, now!"

Kennedy, Faith, and Vi came out of the darkness as Buffy hit Scott's hand and freed herself from his grasp. Vi joined Buffy to fight Scott while Faith and Kennedy teamed up to take on Clare.

Vi tossed an ax to Buffy, keeping a sword for herself. In the past three weeks, they had learned to decapitate every vampire they came across. If one was a child of the Mistress, there was a good chance a simple stake would not do the trick. So to save trouble and pain, they simply brought sharp-bladed weapons to chop their enemies' heads off.

Vi took a swipe at Scott. He back-pedaled and jumped to the left when Buffy leaped at him. Vi thrust her blade through his stomach while he was in mid-air. He gasped in pain.

Scott grabbed the sword with both hands and yanked it out. While he and Vi fought to gain control of the weapon, Buffy came up behind him. She kicked him in the back of the knee. He went down with a jerk.

Buffy swung the ax and took off his head. He crumbled into ash. Buffy nodded once to Vi, who smiled back. They turned to see how their partners fared.

Kennedy was using the Slayer's Scythe tonight. Every night the four women went out on patrol, they took turns using it. It gave them an edge with vampires, especially these Masters from the Mistress' family, for some reason.

Clare was paying more attention to Kennedy than to Faith. The older Slayer waited until Clare had her back to her, then she struck. Using a battle-ax, she fell to the ground and chopped at the vampire's legs, taking out both legs just below the knees.

Clare fell to ground with a howl of pain. Kennedy quickly silenced her by stepping forward and beheading her.

Kennedy stepped through the cloud of dust that had been Clare moments before, and helped Faith to her feet.

"Those vampires were wicked rowdy," Faith said as she checked her arms for cuts.

"And super tough," Vi added.

"The worst ones we've faced so far," Buffy said.

"I don't know, I didn't think they were that bad," Kennedy said. "I mean, we dusted them pretty fast."

"Not that tough? Where were you when they were kicking my ass?"

"Waiting for your signal," Kennedy replied. "And sure, by yourself, they're tough. But with all of us, they're easy to kill."

"Okay, next time you be bait," Buffy huffed.

"Hey, whoever draws the short straw," Faith interjected. "And Kennedy's right. Since we've been going out like this, we've dusted almost a dozen vamps like these two. If we were by ourselves, we'd all be dead by now."

"What's up?" Vi asked. "Why are there so many of these Master vampires together?"

"We've told you already, the Mistress," Kennedy said.

"Do you really believe that?"

"Hey, after meeting Bane, I believe anything that's a certified vampire legend," Faith said.

The four Slayers made their way out of the park they fought in. Despite killing Scott and Clare quickly, it took a lot out of each of them. They were done for the night and were looking forward to their favorite relaxation activities.

A quarter mile from the caved-in entrance to the Rowling Salt Mine, a group of vampires were busy. Led by Horace, they drove large dump trucks to a hole in the ground. The dump trucks were filled with dirt and salt as vampires with mining helmets came out of the hole with buckets of earth. The dump trucks were then driven to a landfill, where their contents were spilled so as not to attract any undo attention.

They had been doing this every night for the last three weeks. All the vampires were tired and sore. Discouragement marked more than one face. The work was dreary and painful. Last night they thought they had a break-through, but that had amounted to nothing.

Now, a commotion at the mouth of the hole brought Horace racing from the dump truck he was filling to see what was going on . Vampires were scrambling out, shouting in triumph..

Roman, Cecilia, and Dean came crawling out of the hole, dragging a heavy logging chain behind them. Horace barked out orders and everyone grabbed the chain and pulled.

The other end of the chain was wrapped around a massive pair of legs inside a gray robe. Another tug brought the body out up to the waist. Two more hauls on the chain and Bane was out from the earth.

Salt from the mines had kept the four gaping wounds in his torso from healing. Three vampires from the group had removed the wooden beam sticking through him. Other than sinking into the salt from his position propped up by the piece of lumber, Bane had not responded.

"Get him in one of the trucks. Then get him to the hospital," Horace commanded.

Several of his fellow vampires rolled their eyes. But they did as ordered. While a few covered the hole, the rest of the group began to go to the trucks. Horace stopped next to Cedric, who was watching them carry Bane. Cedric was grimy, scratched, and his skin was raw and bleeding. He had been here every night of the last three weeks.

"The Mistress will be pleased," Cedric stated.

"Yes, she will," Horace agreed.

"Not so bad tonight," Willow commented when she saw Kennedy's naked body coming out of the shower. The redhead stood leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest.

"Excuse me?"

"The bruises, they're not so many tonight."

"Oh, right."

Willow smiled, "What did you think I was talking about?"

"I don't know, me not being so hot anymore," Kennedy answered with a smile of her own. "Either that or you thinking I was bad looking sometimes."

"Oh, baby, you know I think you're adorable all the time." Willow stepped into the bathroom and hugged Kennedy close. "Even when you're all nasty looking with puffy-bruised face in the ICU."

Kennedy chuckled into Willow's hair. She inhaled the scent that was only Willow.

"Well, I'm not in the ICU now. And while I'm looking 'not so bad,' I'm feeling even better," she said.

"Any ideas?"

"A few."

Willow giggled when Kennedy picked her up. She entwined her legs around her girlfriend's waist and Kennedy shifted her arms underneath Willow's backside to get a firmer hold. She carried her to the bed and laid her gently on top of the comforter.

"Tsk, tsk. You got your clothes all wet," Kennedy said in a low purr. "Looks like they're going have to go."

"Okay."

Kennedy started to strip Willow. She began by unbuttoning her blouse. Willow laid back, her eyes closed. About half way down the shirt, Kennedy felt a twinge of pain shoot up her right arm, originating at her wrist. She tried to hide it, but another twinge sent her lower arm into spasms. She gasped in pain.

Willow's eyes snapped open. She sat up so suddenly she banged her head against Kennedy's. There was a resounding crack and both women saw stars.

"Ow," Willow said. She put a hand to her forehead.

"I second that."

Willow concentrated through the tears in her eyes and the pain in her head. She saw Kennedy holding her head with her left hand, and favoring her right arm. Kennedy kept her right hand by her side, palm up, and she was flexing and un-flexing her fist. Every once in awhile she would shake her hand.

"Your arm bothering you?"

"Yeah. That's what happens with the kind of extensive nerve damage I suffered."

"Some price to pay for dusting a vamp."

"Hey, I got off easy."

"Losing use of your arm, followed by excruciating pain, is not my idea of 'easy'," Willow countered. "You really should see a doctor about that."

"No! No doctors. My Slayer's healing'll take care of this."

"When? It's been three weeks."

"I just don't want them to do me like they did Faith."

"They aren't going to amputate your arm," Willow pointed out. "Besides, they saved her life."

"Yeah, and they took away her chance to have kids," Kennedy said bitterly.

"What?"

Kennedy's eyes went wide and her mouth hung open. She turned away.

"Nothing."

"No, what do you mean, Kennedy?"

"Drop it! It slipped out and you aren't supposed to know."

"What happened to Faith in the hospital?" Willow insisted.

"She started to hemorrhage. So they removed her uterus."

"Oh my God," Willow whispered. She gave Kennedy a sharp look, "Does Xander know?"

"No one knows but me. And I only know because the doctors came into my room right after surgery and they were talking about it. They thought I was asleep."

"You kept this from me?"

"I kept it from everyone but Faith until two days ago. Then I told her I knew and she begged me – begged me – not to tell anyone. Not even you."

"But Xander should know. Why hasn't she told him?"

"I think they both realized it was about more than just sex when she was in the hospital. And she doesn't want to lose him 'cause she can't have kids."

"But they haven't talked about kids, have they?"

"I doubt it, but who knows?" Kennedy replied. "But it doesn't mean it's not a factor."

"She'll hurt him more if she doesn't tell him, though."

"I know." Kennedy scooted close to Willow. "Can we just forget about them for tonight? I was so looking forward to a night all alone with you."

Willow stood and looked down at Kennedy. The younger woman was naked and the sheen of water from her shower made her body glisten enticingly. But this was important. Willow tamped down her lust and schooled her features to sternness.

"Not until you call Faith and tell her she has to tell Xander, tonight." When Kennedy opened her mouth to protest, Willow pointed at herself. "Resolve face!"

Kennedy sighed. There was no getting past Willow's resolve face. She stood up and walked to the phone.

"What's their number, again?"

The Mistress was talking to Isabel, one of her children, when the door to the throne room burst open. Horace led as the vampires assigned to excavate brought in Bane. The large monster was borne on the shoulders of six men, Cedric among them.

They laid Bane on the floor at the foot of the dais the Mistress' throne was on. She noticed his gray robe was salt-encrusted and spattered with his white blood. Uncoiling her tail and sliding off her throne, she slithered down the dais.

"I see we've found him," she said.

"Exactly where I figured he'd be, Mistress," Horace said.

"Well done, Horace. Now remove his robe."

The six vampires that carried Bane into the throne room picked him up. Horace and another child, named Waite, disrobed him. They threw the garment on the floor.

The Mistress looked at her family. "Jacqueline?"

"Yes, Mistress?" The named vampire stepped forward.

"Take that robe and make an exact copy. Minus the salt, the blood and the holes in it."

"Yes, Mistress." Jacqueline gathered the robe and left the room.

"Roman?"

"Yes, Mistress?"

"Is it ready?"

"Two levels down, just as you wished. In the basement below, Mistress."

"Take him down there before he revives."

"Will he, Mistress?" Cedric asked. "He hasn't moved or reacted at all since we brought him out of that mine."

"He is weak, that is all," the Mistress answered. "See, his wounds begin to knit themselves, even now."

Sure enough, the gaping holes in his chest and the nasty gash in his shoulder were slowly closing.

"No doubt the salt has something to do with that," the Mistress continued. "Next he will awaken. And when he does, I want him down in the basement. See to it, Horace."

"Yes, Mistress."

The crowd left with a naked Bane in tow. When the door to the throne room closed only Cedric and the Mistress remained. She slithered onto her throne, coiled her tail, and regarded Cedric.

"It's been four hours and Scott and Clare haven't returned with my meal."

"That's not like them."

"I fear they've met an untimely end."

"Slayers," he spat.

"Indeed." The Mistress drummed her claws on her throne and looked around thoughtfully. "The ceremony three weeks ago has affected you. You no longer see the need to call me Mistress."

"I'm sorry, Mistress."

"No, no. Do not be sorry. I am happy for you," she smiled briefly. Soon she returned to drumming her claws on her throne and puffing her cheeks in thought.

"You don't like him, do you, Mistress?"

"Very perceptive, Cedric. You always have been, though. No, I do not like Bane. I'd even venture to say I hate him. I hate everything that he stands for, I hate his purpose."

"Mistress?"

"He is proof we vampires cower in fear of a human; a little girl. And for that reminder, I hate him."

"I fear him, Mistress. And I don't fear any living creature."

"You should. Fear him. He's dangerous. But he'll do for the Slayer," she smiled. "You do not have to call me Mistress."

"What shall I call you then? It's all I've ever known you by."

"All right then, but you do not have to follow the protocols so strictly. After all, you have received the Il'kawce." She considered him for a moment. "On second thought, come closer."

Cedric stepped to her throne.

"I am going to tell you my true name."

"Mistress–"

"I know, I told you once a long time ago that I do not let anyone know. Only the Lords knew my name. Well, you will be a Lord yourself, someday. Someday soon. Come here."

The Mistress grabbed his shoulders and pulled him close. She whispered her name so low that even with her mouth on his ear, he barely understood the word. He pulled back. She smiled wanly as she swayed in her seat from the powerful affect her name had on her.

"Now you know what no one has spoken in centuries."

"Thank you, Mistress," he bowed his head.

She returned the gesture. "You, Cedric, are most welcome."

Faith stood with her hand of the phone. She returned it to the cradle, but stood with her hand on top of it, thinking.

She just got off the phone with Kennedy. The younger Slayer informed her of her slip earlier tonight and that Willow now knew. And that Willow was demanding Faith tell Xander. If she did not, Willow would.

Faith took her hand away from the appliance and sighed heavily. This was something she did not look forward to. She started to tell Xander about twenty times a day since she found out, but each time she lost the nerve. Now she was backed into a corner and had to tell him. There was no way out.

The problem was, and Faith just realized this two days ago – about the same time Kennedy confronted her – that Xander meant more to her than she previously thought he did. Somehow he wormed his way into her heart, something no one, not even Robin Wood, ever did.

She turned and headed into the bedroom. Xander was asleep. He looked so cute, so peaceful, in slumber. His eye-patch even looked softer when he slept. She hated to wake him, but this was important.

"Xander," she whispered. "Xander, wake up."

"Hm?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you." She shook him gently. "Wake up."

His eye snapped open and he sat bolt upright.

"Faith, is everything all right? What do we need to do? Who do we need to fight? Willow, Buffy, Dawn are they okay?" he asked in a rush. He began to pull the covers off himself and get out of bed.

"Whoa, slow down," Faith said. She smiled with affection even as annoyance sprouted within her. He was always rushing in to help, which is how he lost his eye. That did not even teach him his lesson. That trait of his both endeared him to her and pissed her off.

She laid a restraining hand on his chest. "No one's in trouble. There's no bad guys to fight. We're all alone."

"Oh," Xander said as he relaxed. "Why'd you wake me up? Our little post-slayage tension reliever not enough for you? 'Cause I thought…" he trailed off.

"Oh no, it was great," she said. "As usual, you got me there."

"Good," he said with a smile.

"I just need to talk to you."

"Talk? That's it?" Xander asked. Faith nodded. He smiled. "Okay, more and more depth revealed everyday with you. Come here."

He held out his arms in the universal signal for a hug. Faith couldn't help the small smile that crept across her face. This man was getting to her, changing her. And she was pretty sure she liked it.

Faith sat down at the foot of the bed, shaking her head. "This is something I have to tell you face-to-face, not cuddling."

"Serious?"

"Serious."

"Well then, hit me with the serious talk."

"You remember when Rhona attacked us? And I got really beat up?"

"How could I not?" Xander interrupted. "Those were the worst twenty hours of my life. And I don't mean the time I was unconscious, either."

Faith blushed at the concern in his voice. He was talking about the time between his waking in the hospital and her finding consciousness.

"Well, the doctors had to do a lot of surgeries to keep me alive."

"Right, your appendix had to be removed. And some other stuff operated on."

"Yeah. Well they … found something else wrong."

"Now you're starting to scare me. Just tell me."

Faith took a deep breath, "I had an emergency hysterectomy."

"Oh thank God!" Xander sighed. "I thought you were going to say you had terminal cancer."

He leaned forward and cupped her face in his hands. He kissed her gently. Faith was so surprised she melted into his embrace and returned the kiss.

Xander pulled back suddenly. Concern was etched on his features. "You're okay, though? I mean, you can still do everything a Slayer's supposed to do, right?"

"I can."

"And you're fine now, right?"

"Mostly."

"What's that mean, mostly?"

"Xander, they took my uterus out," Faith explained. She pushed away from him. "I can't have children, now. Ever."

"You want to have kids?"

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know. But now we'll never know if I wanted to have kids, will we?"

"No, I guess not."

"And what about you?"

"Me?"

"What if you want to have kids? I mean–"

"You mean with you?" Xander choked out.

"Well, of course with me," Faith huffed. "Oh, I see. You don't want to have kids with me."

"No, I do. I think I do. Or would, anyway," he babbled. "It's just, I didn't know we were to the point in our relationship we'd think about kids, much less talk about them."

"So?"

"So, what?"

"So, do you want to have kids?"

"Someday, yeah," Xander answered. "Like I said, I wasn't really thinking about it. I was still marveling that we were talking more. You know, to the talking stage. Which is supposed to proceed the sex. I'm pretty sure it is."

"I wouldn't know," Faith interjected. "I've never had a real relationship."

"And I'm at a better place now for thinking about kids than when me and An…"

"It's okay to say her name. That's one of our rules. Ex's names allowed."

"But I think the rules are changing."

"Not that much," Faith stated. "They're a part of our past, which makes us who we are."

"All right. I'm more mature, have a better job, and know what I want in life. I think that puts me in a better place than when me and Anya talked about having kids." He took a breath. "But that doesn't mean I've considered it. I mean, you've never been the June Clever type, so I never thought much about it."

"Well, I never did want to have kids. The only role model I had for a mother was mine, and she was major screw-up. I didn't want to make the same mistakes she did."

"So why are you asking me? I'm not the one who'd get all bloat-y and ugly and emotional. I wouldn't have food cravings and lower back pain and swollen ankles. If anyone in this relationship makes the decisions about baby having, it's you. So if you don't want to have one, why are you asking me?"

"In case you ever do want to have kids," Faith replied. "You should at least know I can't have any. Then you can decide if you want to stay with me. I'd understand if you didn't."

Faith fought back tears. She hated this. She hated the way Xander had this kind of control over her. She hated that she was so concerned about his feelings.

At the same time it felt nice, like this was where she belonged. And now she could lose that, because if he said he did not want to be with her because of the kid issue, she would leave. It would break her heart, but she would do it. She loved him so much, that she would keep her word, no matter what.

She hated that most of all.

Xander pulled her into a hug. He cradled her head to his shoulder and stroked her long brown hair with his left hand. His right hand moved up and down her back in a soft and slow motion.

"I don't know if I want to have kids," he whispered. "It's a big responsibility and my genetics aren't exactly something I want to pass along. My parents, hell my whole family, weren't good role models, either. But I do want to be with you."

"Yeah, and strange enough, I want to be with you," Faith mumbled into his shoulder.

"Let's just forget about babies all-together."

"Okay."

"I still don't understand why it's such a big deal to you."

"I told you, I wanted you to–"

"I know what you said," Xander cut her off. "But you also sounded disappointed you can't have kids. Why?"

"Because now that I can't have them, I want them."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It does to me."

Xander shrugged, wisely dropping the subject. They remained where they were, cuddling close, Xander stroking Faith's scalp and back, neither saying another word. They fell asleep that way.

Cedric, Roman, Waite, and Horace sat around a table in the old cafeteria in the Marcincko Mental Hospital. The fact Horace was invited to this card game was as near a miracle as any vampire could witness. He was not the most liked person in the Mistress' clan, and being in charge of the excavation of Bane only made his popularity decrease.

It was the time of day when most vampires slept, though. This game needed a fourth, and with both Henry and Scott now being ash, Horace was the only one available. Still, his presence grated on Cedric's nerves. He did not even have to speak and Cedric's teeth were set on edge. Waite and Roman put up with him, though.

"So what's the deal with this Bane guy?" Waite asked. Of the four, he was the youngest, sired only thirty years ago. "I mean, he's not one of us, but he looks like it. What's up with that?"

"All I know is he's bad news," Roman said. "And that the only way to keep him contained is with silver."

"Is that why you were busy making that cage while we dug?" Waite asked.

"Yup."

"And the lesser vampires in the cage with him?" Waite asked.

"For him to feed on," Horace said.

"Really?" Waite asked.

"Yes. Once he's revived, he'll feed off them and gain his strength."

"Sounds like you've got the scoop on him, eh?" Roman said.

"As much as I'd love to have the dish on him, that's about all I know," Horace admitted. "Nothing more to tell."

"There's a shock," Cedric muttered.

"You got a problem with me?"

"Oh, I got more than just one," Cedric said.

"Care to let me in on them?"

"Anytime you think you can handle it."

"All right!" Waite jumped in. "God, you two never stop bickering. It's enough to give me a headache."

"Cedric, you know anything about Bane?" Roman asked to ease the tension.

"A little."

"Join the club," Horace sneered. "Oh wait, you founded it. The ignoramus club."

"I know he can't be killed by anything but sunlight." Cedric shot Horace a death look. "That he feeds off other vampires when his strength wanes. And his sole reason for existence is to kill Slayers."

"Well, you seem a little more informed than the rest of us," Waite said.

"He feeds off vampires? Why not humans?" Roman asked.

"That's what I said," Horace blurted. "Why didn't you believe me?"

"I don't know," Cedric answered, ignoring Horace and speaking to Roman. "But I do know that he has to obey the Mistress, 'cause she's the last remaining Lord."

"Lord?" Waite asked. "Why isn't she a Lady since she's a, you know, a she?"

"Vampire Lord, you twit," Horace said.

"Funny, you calling someone else that," Cedric commented dryly.

"It's a wonder she ever sired you," Roman said to Waite.

"Okay, okay," Waite exclaimed. "I know what a Lord is. I was only trying to make with the funny."

"It wasn't," Horace said flatly. "Probably because we knew you really didn't know what you were talking about."

Waite glared daggers at Horace. From now on, he would not put up with his company, either. Roman sat forward.

"But back to my question," he began. "Why not humans?"

"I don't know," Cedric answered. "I doubt anyone could tell you that, except a very old Lord."

"Maybe the Mistress, then?" Waite asked.

"Probably," Horace answered. "But she more than likely won't tell you."

"He's right," Cedric grudgingly confirmed. "And the only humans Bane does feed off of are Slayers."

Waite and Roman both raised their eyebrows with impressed looks. Horace rolled his eyes and ground his teeth in frustration. No matter what he said, no one ever took him seriously. He would get their respect, one way or another. And he would do it soon.

"Well, anyway, Bane's the ace up the Mistress' sleeve. There's never been any Slayer he's faced that's lived," Cedric said. He picked up the forgotten deck of cards and began shuffling.

"That's good, since your newbie failed so miserably to kill this Buffy," Horace jeered.

"And once the Mistress tells him to kill her, she's toast," Cedric said as if Horace never spoke a word.

"That good, huh?" Roman asked.

"That bad, for her," Cedric answered with a smile. He began to deal the cards.

Willow and Buffy were sitting on the couch in Buffy's living room when Xander entered. He flashed them a smile and sauntered over.

"Hey, Xand, what's up?" Buffy asked.

"We got a call to come do some brainstorming," he replied. "Something about Giles getting in today."

"But that's not for hours, yet," Willow said. "So why you here early?"

"What? A guy can't just spend time with his bestest buds without a reason?"

"It's not that," Willow explained. "Its just, it's Saturday, you have the day off."

"Usually you spend the time with Faith," Buffy finished. "You two seem to be getting closer."

"Yeah," Xander admitted as he sat on the recliner opposite them. "Ever since Rhona attacked us in the apartment, things've changed."

"How so?" Willow asked.

"If it's not too intrusive," Buffy added quickly.

"No, it's good to have someone to talk to about this," Xander said. "Little things, mostly."

"Like?" Buffy prompted.

"Talking," Xander answered. "Faith was never one for much talking. Now, she opens up and lets me in. She's more open to cuddling than before."

"Anything else?" Willow asked.

"No."

"Nothing physical?" Willow insisted.

"Will, I don't need to know about that part of their life," Buffy interjected with a smile.

Xander smiled, too. It was quickly replaced with a considering look at Willow.

"You didn't find out something, oh say, last night?" Willow bore into Xander's eyes with her own. "Something that happened to her in the hospital?"

Buffy looked at Willow with concern, "What happened in the hospital?"

"You knew?" Xander asked quietly. Willow nodded. He closed his eyes and bounced his head up and down once. "I thought someone else did."

"I'm sorry, Xand," Willow said.

Buffy looked between her two friends, worry etched on her face. "Sorry for what?"

"It's not your fault, Will. It's no one's. The damage was so extensive that her Slayer healing couldn't help. Not with this, it was too over-taxed just keeping her alive."

"But you should have been the first to know."

"Know what?" Buffy demanded. She looked quickly between her two best friends. "What's going on? What happened in the hospital?"

"Faith's uterus was removed," Xander stated flatly. "Her internal injuries were more extensive than we realized."

"What?"

"She can't have babies, Buffy," Willow explained.

"I know what the uterus is for," Buffy snapped. "Sorry, Will. Why didn't we know sooner?"

"She didn't want to tell anyone," Xander said. "Least of all, me."

"Why not?"

"Like I said, things changed between us after Rhona attacked us."

"You two got more serious," Buffy stated quietly.

"A lot more serious."

"And she was worried what you'd say," Willow added.

"Pretty much."

"So why'd she tell you now?" Buffy asked. "And how does Willow know?"

"I knew before Xander," Willow said in a tiny voice. "Kennedy–"

"Kennedy knew?" Xander exploded out of his seat.

"She overheard the doctors talking while they thought she was still unconscious."

"Oh," Xander sat back down.

"She let it slip last night," Willow said. "And I made her tell me. Then I made her call Faith. I thought it only right Xander know."

"You were right," Buffy said. "As the man in Faith's life, Xander, you do deserve to know."

"Are you okay?" Willow asked.

"I was," Xander replied. "Last night it didn't seem such a big deal. I mean, I wasn't even thinking about kids. I was vaguely wondering if I might want to marry Faith, someday."

"You're all ready thinking about marriage?" Buffy asked.

"'Vaguely someday'," Xander pointed out. "Not 'definitely next week'."

"And now?" Willow asked. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"I don't know," he said. "Last night I thought it was okay, 'cause I don't want to make the same mistakes my parents did. I don't want to become my father. But this morning I kind of get what Faith meant."

"Meant, what?" Buffy asked.

"When she said she wanted to have kids now that she couldn't have them," Xander clarified. "Now I'm wondering if I could've done a better job than my dad."

"For God's sake, Xander," Willow exclaimed. "You're not married to her!"

"Yeah, there's still the chance you can have kids," Buffy added.

"A month ago, I'd have agreed with you," Xander said. "But now … Like I said, things are different, now."

"That different?" Willow asked.

"Yeah."

"I had no idea she meant that much to you," Buffy said.

"Me neither," Xander replied. He chuckled wryly. "So now what do I do?"

"You are so asking the wrong two women, Xand," Willow said with a smile.

"Yeah, I can't keep a man and Willow doesn't want one."

"You're on your own," Willow stated with a judicious nod of her head.

"You okay with this?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know. Give me week or three."


	11. Part 3 Chapter 2

Chapter II

At dusk, Bane was brought before the Mistress. He was garbed in the new robe Jacqueline had made for him. This robe was black, with red lining at the neck, cuffs, and hem. A red sash tied off the waist. His pasty white skin contrasted with the dark material, making him seem to glow.

The Mistress' clan surrounded him. Every one of her children was present for this meeting. There were, all told, thirty vampires and one unique monster assembled in the throne room.

"Are you revived?" the Mistress asked Bane.

"Revived, but replenished not," Bane stated. "And weak. So much salt."

"Is your kennel to your liking?"

The Mistress' children chuckled. Bane ignored them.

"The silver cage is large. The bars are thick enough that I can bend them not. I believe that is to your liking."

"That was the point, to keep you within," the Mistress said. "My question is: are you comfortable?"

"No, Mistress, I am not," Bane stated flatly. "But does it matter? Comfort is something I strive for naught."

"I suppose not," she conceded. "Do you feel up to killing the Slayer?"

"It is what I was created for."

"That is not what I asked."

"I need only build my strength," Bane answered.

"Heed me, Bane," the Mistress' voice rose and swelled to fill the entire room. "You may feed off any vampire in Cleveland but those gathered here."

Bane looked around the room. He looked each vampire in the face, memorizing their features. As he paused on them, every vampire froze with fear. They felt their spines collapse and their feet root to the floor. All but Cedric. He felt a small inkling of trepidation, but was otherwise un-affected.

"As you command, so shall it be," Bane said when he was done looking over the vampires.

The Mistress nodded at this foregone conclusion. "Go build your strength. And if you have a chance, kill the Slayer."

"Which one, Mistress?" Bane asked. "For there reside upon this hellmouth four Slayers of varying power."

"All of them," the Mistress answered. "But especially the one named Buffy Summers. If you even see her, make sure you are the last thing she sees."

"As you command, Mistress."

Horace leaned over to whisper to Roman. "This is going to be a busy night."

Roman smiled and nodded his agreement.

Bare feet clomped down an alleyway. The cold pavement was a mere side-note of sensation on his skin. The only thing that mattered was the meal he was about to consume.

Bane spotted a vampire enter this passage between buildings moments before with a young woman. Now he was going to get his first meal outside a cage after weeks trapped in a salt mine. His focus was completely on the task before him.

Striding through the alley, he was upon the couple in moments. He never slowed his step, and he never looked in any other direction than straight-ahead. Instead, Bane reached out with one hand and separated the feeding vampire from his intended victim.

With the same hand, Bane grabbed the vampire around the throat and yanked. The smaller undead tried to resist, but to no avail. Even in his weakened state, Bane was too powerful for him.

Bane walked on, holding the vampire to his mouth with one hand. He sank his fangs into the man's neck and drank deeply. Within three steps the vampire was completely drained.

Bane let go of him and strode on.

The vampire was dust before he hit the pavement.

In the middle of the alley, the girl stood up with her hand to her neck to stem the flow of blood. She watched the behemoth exit the alley. For five minutes she stood in shocked silence. Then she spun on her heel and fled.

Buffy, Vi, Faith, and Kennedy were hard at work. They followed the precepts of the new Watcher's Council, for the most part, and so were paid Slayers. They earned their pay by fighting for their lives nightly.

They had stumbled across a group of six vampires over thirty minutes ago. Much to their dismay – but not to their surprise – all six were Masters. Now, the young women were sweating profusely and so far they had eliminated only two of the vampires.

Vi jumped into the air, spun around and threw her battle-ax. It flew on its side, rotating quickly, and beheaded a vampire.

Faith caught the ax in her left hand, while her right was busy with a sword, fending off a vampire. She hefted the ax, adjusting her grip. She smiled wickedly.

"Time to turn the beat up on our little dance," she said.

She leaped at her opponent, swinging both weapons in a hectic pattern.

Wagner's bar was a good place for a vampire to unwind. They had the best blood in town. Wagner's had good music, nice lighting, and a strict no-violence rule. This was enforced by a couple of nasty looking Kaliff demons. With their bald heads, red skin, and circling spikes around their cranium, they were the perfect bouncers for a demon bar.

Which was why Gary was so surprised when a hand landed heavily on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw the whitest hand he had ever seen. He shifted on his barstool to get a look at whoever touched him and fell off his seat in fright.

Looking down at him was the biggest and strangest looking vampire he had ever laid eyes on. His facial ridges were more pronounced than other vampires'. The bumps protruded out from his face quite a ways, while the indentations were deep fissures in his cranium. His eyes were pale blue, yet pierced Gary's mind with a mind-numbing horror. He opened his mouth and all his teeth were pointed and sharp; his fangs long and dangerous even by vampire standards.

"Hello, little one," he said.

Gary was at a loss for words. He was at a loss for anything, even movement. The big guy hoisted him up and sank his teeth in Gary's neck. Gary crumbled into dust in Bane's hands.

Bane straightened and headed for the door. A pity, only one vampire in this den. The last time Bane was here, he smelled over fifteen. He would have to find his nourishment elsewhere.

Bane passed the door. The two Kaliff demons that were the doormen lay with their necks broken just inside the establishment.

Kennedy was getting tired. Over an hour into this fight and only three of the six vampires were dusted. Her arms were beginning to ache and her vision blur.

Barely ducking a kick in time, she was bowled over by a vampire the next second. She looked up at her assailant. The vampire smiled.

Suddenly Vi and Buffy threw the vampire back. They occupied him while Faith used the Slayer's Scythe to keep the other two vampires at bay.

Kennedy slowly regained her feet as Buffy and Vi dusted the vampire that knocked her down. Buffy spared her a glance as she joined Faith; Vi walked up to Kennedy.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Nothing killing two more super-powerful vamps won't cure," Kennedy replied as she stumbled with fatigue. "That and a good long nap."

"Would you two stop yammering and help us?" Faith yelled.

Vi shrugged. "Looks like you have to find it within yourself to finish this fight."

"I guess that's what being a Slayer is all about," Kennedy said.

They turned and joined the other two Slayers.

The fresh grave looked so serene and peaceful. The new headstone that read "Pamela Ramsey 1975-2004" was polished until it shone, even in the moonlight.

Suddenly a hand shot out from the loose earth. Soon another joined it. Then the head and torso of the late Pamela Ramsey were free. Her vampire features were showing.

She looked behind her and saw her headstone. She shrugged her shoulders slightly and turned back to get the rest of her body out of the grave. That was when she noticed the bare feet.

They straddled the grave, displacing all the frost-covered dirt and grass. How anyone could tolerate being barefoot in this cold was beyond her. Pamela looked up and up and up until she finally reached the face, and was paralyzed with fear.

He was big. He was ugly. And his pale blue eyes trapped her within her own body. She remained motionless as he reached down and picked her up.

Bane sucked her dry.

The Slayers now had the upper hand. Two on four was a better way to fight such powerful vampires.

Faith thrust the end of the Scythe's handle into the male vampire's chest. Unsurprisingly, he was not dusted. Faith was able to keep him in one place long enough for Kennedy to take off his head. Then he did crumble into ash.

The last vampire was female and she looked at the four Slayers surrounding her with hate and anger, no fear present. She hissed at them and backed away as the Slayers slowly advanced.

Suddenly she roared and charged, completely catching them off guard. She barreled past Buffy, knocked down Faith, and took a passing swipe at Vi. The young woman fell to the ground and cried out in pain. She covered her left cheek, blood oozing out from under her hand.

Kennedy rushed to her fallen friend's side to check on her, but was waved off.

"I'm okay! Don't let that thing get away!"

Kennedy nodded once and stood. Gauging the distance, she cocked her arm back and threw her battle-ax. It went flying, end over end, at the departing vampire and right into the ground thirty feet from Kennedy.

"Damn!" she said. "Guess you can't throw when you can hardly lift your arms."

"It was a nice try," Vi said consolingly. She was standing beside Buffy, her hand still to her face.

"Yeah, except for the part where you missed and hardly threw the ax," Faith pointed out.

"Let's not get into this right here, right now," Buffy said. "Let's just get home and get Vi cleaned up."

"And I could use a long soak in hot tub," Kennedy added.

"I think we all could," Buffy said.

"Yeah, they were wicked nasty," Faith said as they began walking toward Kennedy's ax.

"The worst so far," Vi said.

"Or maybe it was 'cause there were six of them," Kennedy said.

"Well, only one's going home, and we'll get her sooner or later," Buffy stated.

"Hopefully later than tonight," Vi said.

"Yeah."

Jacqueline rounded the corner and bumped into something. She looked up and saw a stomach draped in a black robe outlined in red. Looking up, she saw Bane looking down at her. A shiver of fear ran through her as those cold pale blue eyes met her brown ones.

"Why in such haste?" he asked in his gravelly voice. "Sunlight will be upon us not for six hours."

"Slayers," Jacqueline stated.

"Where? I sense them not."

"I was just fighting them, over there," she motioned behind her. "Me and Justine and Marshall, and Clive and Phil and Niko."

"All of you fought the Slayer?" he asked. "And yet only you stand before me."

"Slayers. Four of them."

Bane looked up, his eyes glazed. After a few moments he smiled. Extremely long and pointed teeth glinted in the artificial light of the street lamps. Jacqueline shivered again at the sight.

"Ah, now I sense them," he said as he looked around. "This Hellmouth plays havoc with my senses. Yes, all four of the extremely powerful Slayers. And you survived your encounter?"

"Barely. I mean look at me, I'm a mess."

Indeed she was. Her clothes were torn and tattered. She had scrapes along her face, hands and lower arms. There were bruises all over her skin.

"You do look worn."

"Thank you," she snapped.

Bane ignored her and looked passed her. With his height it was easy, he simply looked straight ahead. His senses told him the Slayers were coming closer. Moments after he looked up, he saw them come into view.

"Ah, here are your assailants, now."

Jacqueline spun around so fast she nearly lost her footing. Bane caught her and held her upright so she would not make noise and attract attention. They watched as the four Slayers strode by without looking down the side streets they passed. Bane shook his head; they were patrolling in a sloppy manner. It would get them killed. Not that he particularly cared, but common sense dictated they be more careful.

When the four had passed, Jacqueline turned to Bane, "Hey! What am I scared for? You're here."

"So I am."

"You can kill them!"

"I can," Bane agreed, but did not move.

"So? Get to it!"

Bane gave her a quizzical look. "Who are you to give me orders? I see the mark of a Lord on you not."

"But the Mistress told you kill the Slayers, if you had the chance."

"So she did," Bane agreed. Still, he remained where he stood.

"Then why aren't you moving?"

"I have not the sufficient strength to take on one Slayer, much less four," he answered. "Nor do I feel inclined to attack them tonight."

"Not inclined!" Jacqueline's voice broke as it climbed an octave. "But the Mistress–"

"Is not here."

"Ooh, you just wait till she hears that!"

Jacqueline moved to walk passed Bane. He put out an arm. She ran into it and bounced back.

"She will not," he said.

"Why is that?" her voice quavered as she asked. The fear she experienced when looking at Bane became full-blown terror.

"Because you will not tell her. And I most certainly will not."

"Why won't I tell her?" Jacqueline's whisper was barely audible.

"Because I am feeding off you."

Bane suited his words by picking Jacqueline off the ground and biting into her neck. She squeaked once with a mix of fear and pain.

When Bane was finished, he dropped her and stepped back. He looked at the moon with a satisfied look. Nothing quite like a Master vampire's blood. The only thing better was Slayer blood. He did not want to alert them to his presence just yet; he had many activities he needed to accomplish before he tackled four Slayers. The weeks spent in the bottom of the salt mine needed to be countered with a flurry of activity.

Now that his strength was returned to some semblance of normality, he could concentrate on other aspects of his plan. For that, he needed to visit that Information and Visitor's Bureau once again, since he never did get the map he wanted. But first, he wanted to know more about this new Slayer.

The Slayers reached Buffy's house exhausted and ready to call it a night. Vi and Kennedy entered. Faith followed, and Buffy was right behind her. She stopped, feeling Goosebumps start at the base of her spine and wrap around her midsection to her naval.

Something was not right, here.

She looked around, searching. She saw nothing, but that feeling of wrongness remained. Stepping back from the doorway, she stood on the porch. After a few minutes, she let out a frustrated sigh.

"Okay, whoever you are, this isn't funny," Buffy said loudly. "I'm tired and sore. I've had a really crappy night. So come out and let's get it over with."

Nothing but empty streets and dark lawns greeted her announcement. Sighing once more, she went inside.

Bane crouched behind one of the cars parked in a neighbor's driveway. This close, he was able to feel the difference between each Slayer. The little blonde, Buffy, was the most powerful. The rest, it was difficult to tell the difference each had to the others.

Bane waited a few minutes, making sure he would not be seen. Standing, he faded into the darkness. He had other places to go and other tasks to accomplish this night.

The morning saw four tired Slayers gathered in Buffy's living room along with Xander, Dawn, Giles, and Willow. It was research time, even though all previous attempts to find anything substantial on the Mistress had proven futile. Giles refused to give up, though.

"There's got to be something on her other than myths and urban legends," he said last week. "If she's as old as all those vampires said, and she frightens them so, she has to be on record somewhere."

Giles flew back to England to dig up what he could. Books arrived sporadically throughout the week. Now he was back and they were going into deep research mode. So deep, Xander brought three dozen doughnuts and informed them of his provision strategy.

"I've all ready called the Chinese place down the road. They'll be delivering around eleven-thirty. Then the Pizza Hut guy'll be here around four. And the chick from the deli will arrive around seven. So we're set for food, since I brought the doughnuts for the morning's provisions."

"Is that all you men think about?" Willow asked. "Food?"

"No," Kennedy answered with a smirk. "There's the sex, too."

"Yeah, I guess that's about right," Willow conceded.

"Hey, you mock now, but we'll see who's grateful when the stomachs start grumbling and ol' Xand-man's got it covered all ready," Xander said.

"You're right, it's a good idea," Buffy said.

"Yes, well, could we please begin?" Giles asked. "Kennedy, you start with Denton's Appendix. Willow, you take Benjamin Rawzi's Compendium. Buffy, here's a few Watcher's diaries, see what you can make of them," he named off books as he passed them out to the assembled group.

Three hours later, everyone was through their respective books, which accounted for all those Giles managed to scrounge together in the past week.

"Still nothing," Giles said with an air of frustration. He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"This is like deja-vu all over again," Xander commented. "Only worse this time 'cause we have more books to go through."

"Deja-vu?" Giles asked. "How so?"

"With Bane, it was the same drill," Faith answered.

"Yeah, the more we looked, the less we found," Kennedy added.

The doorbell rang, interrupting the discussion. Buffy went to answer the door, missing the next exchange. She opened the door and blinked in surprise.

"Father McMillan, what are you doing here?"

"Just came to see how my resident Slayer was doing," he replied. "I mean, you live just down the street from me, I ought to check in on you and your holy water supply once in a while."

"That's sweet, but unnecessary, really."

"I also brought you some of those books you asked for."

"I asked for?"

"The ones Rupert Giles wanted me to find for him," McMillan explained.

"Oh, you've been getting books for him, too?"

"Actually, I just got a couple of them," he brought his arms forward to show Buffy the books. "But the rest are on their way. Can I come in, now?"

"Sure."

Buffy stepped back to allow him entrance. He followed her in and looked around.

"This entranceway is much nicer looking from inside," he commented. "And the sunshine lights it up beautifully."

Buffy smiled at his tone. The only other time he was here was when Buffy asked him to take Dawn out of Cleveland if anything happened to Buffy during her fight with Rhona and Amanda. She had not spoken to McMillan since the day after, in his rectory doorway. By the inflection of his voice, he was not upset about any of those occurrences.

"Yeah, it is," she agreed. "Come on, you can give those books to Giles. He'll be so happy to get them."

"Ah, Father McMillan!" Giles said in greeting when he and Buffy entered the living room. "So nice to see you again."

"And a pleasure to be seeing you again, too."

"That's Father McMillan?" Faith asked incredulously. "I thought priests were supposed to be all old and ugly. Not young and hot."

McMillan simply smiled at the comment. Xander scuttled closer to Faith and put one arm around her shoulders. Willow and Kennedy rolled their eyes in twin looks of exasperation. Vi smiled with agreement at Faith's observation. Dawn cocked her head to one side, considering.

"Nah, still too old for me," she said.

Buffy reached over and playfully swatted Dawn on the arm. Dawn pulled back with a hurt look.

"What was that for?"

"He's a priest, Dawn," Buffy said. "Show a little respect."

"It's okay," McMillan interjected. "I'm still human. Nice to know ladies still find me attractive."

"Are you sure he's not another Caleb?" Willow asked Buffy in a stage whisper.

"I've personally checked his credentials," Giles cut in. "And have been assured, on the highest authority both in the Council and the Vatican, that Father McMillan is a priest of highest regard and standing."

"I wouldn't know about that," McMillan said.

"I would," Giles replied. "You are greatly respected for your work as–"

"So these books," McMillan cut him off. "Are they for that 'worse' Buffy was facing a couple weeks ago?"

"Oh no," Buffy replied. "This is even worse than that."

"Worse than worse?" McMillan asked.

"Not good," Xander emphasized.

Giles looked at McMillan quizzically. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Yes, these should help."

"We hope," Dawn muttered.

"Good," McMillan said. "If you need anything else or any help with this, just let me know."

He made to leave.

"Uh, Father, a word, if you please," Giles stood.

"Okay."

Giles steered Fr. McMillan into the kitchen. Those left in the living room looked at each other perplexed.

"What was that all about?" Faith asked.

"Who knows, it's Giles," Kennedy said as she reached for one of the last doughnuts.

The doorbell rang. Xander checked his watch and stood.

"That'll be the Chinese food," he said as he went to the door.

The Mistress sat on her throne, giving orders to Isabel. Bane walked into the room as they finished up.

"Isabel, do be careful. I so hate losing my family."

"I won't end up like Clare and Scott, Mistress," Isabel said.

"That would be best, dear."

Isabel smiled and turned to leave. She saw Bane, did a double take, and began stepping down the dais.

"Isabel, if you can, try to bring me something young and exotic," the Mistress said. "Like you were before you were brought to me."

"As you wish, Mistress."

"Perhaps something originally from the Pacific Islands?"

"Yes, Mistress."

Isabel opened the door and left the throne room. Bane approached the Mistress.

"Ah, Bane. I didn't notice you were here already."

"There is not even the slightest possibility of you not knowing when I am either near or present," Bane stated.

"No, I suppose not. Not with the bond we have."

"If you would venture to refer to it as a bond."

"Quite true," the Mistress agreed. "Have you regained your strength?"

"It is sufficient."

"And the Slayer?"

"For now, alive."

"Why?'

"You instructed me to destroy her only when the opportunity arose."

"And it didn't arise?"

Silence fell between the two ancient evil creatures. Bane stared the Mistress straight in the eyes, unblinking and unwavering.

"Of course not," he finally stated.

"Hm. And the other Slayers?"

"I saw them not."

"Very interesting. I lost six of my children last night. The rumor is that there are four Slayers working together every night. Surely, you felt them last night?"

"This Hellmouth wreaks havoc upon my senses. I did feel a group of Master vampires fighting four Slayers. However, I could not ascertain their whereabouts. The mystical energy of this Cleveland prohibits an exact location."

"Odd."

"Extremely."

The Mistress looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. After a few minutes she regarded Bane.

"I order you to take advantage of any opportunity, even slight, to kill the Slayer. Any one of them. Even if you just see them, I want you to see that as enough."

"This Buffy has companions," Bane said. "Friends that help her in her battles."

"So?"

"I would endeavor to survey all of them. Their patterns; their interactions."

"Why is that important?"

"There is something about this Slayer. Something different that has kept her alive this long."

"And you can tell how long a girl's been Slayer." It was not a question.

"Certainly."

"And you want to know what that something is?"

"Before I kill her, yes," Bane answered. "Then we can make certain it is never repeated."

"I like that idea. Then no other Slayer can be a threat to me."

"Any Slayer can be a threat to you, Mistress."

"Not with the power I have," she countered. "Not just any Slayer is dangerous to me. She must be something special, she who would kill me."

"I imagine that is the truth."

"Of course it is," the Mistress affirmed. "I agree. Do not kill Buffy, or any of the other Slayers, for now. Observe and then we shall figure out when to kill her once you have reported to me."

"As you command, Mistress."

Egyptian Desert: 5000 Years Ago

The camp was miles from human civilization, deep within the Egyptian desert. It spread for miles in diameter, all tents double-lined to keep the lethal rays of sunshine from harming its inhabitants. In a pen, like livestock, were hundreds of humans, trussed up and immobile.

Never before, nor since, were so many vampire Lords together of their own volition. Of the original seventy-five Lords, seventy-one remained. They were all present. Nearly every Master vampire was in the camp as well, attending to their Lords. Only those needed to keep a watch over a Lord's domain were left behind. Each Master had some of their minions present for labor. All told, nearly every vampire in the world, at the time, was there.

In a meeting tent in the center of the encampment was every single vampire Lord. It was mid-afternoon and the meeting, which began just before dawn broke, was just beginning to wind down. The inside of the huge tent was arrayed with tiered seating in a pavilion style so those in the front could be seen by those in the back. With so many egos, the seating was strictly first-come-first-serve. Except for the four Lords on the stage in front.

Enich was non-descript. He wore a coarse robe of camel hide and kept his hair in the style of the region he lived in. Lilith was strikingly beautiful with flawless white skin, luxuriant red hair, and startlingly blue eyes set in a perfect face. She wore a simple toga. Metujael was thin and stately. He wore royal robes and kept his hair back from his face with a golden band around the forehead. Imophen was another beautiful woman with brown hair and eyes. Standing next to Lilith, she was plain in comparison. She wore an elegant and elaborate kimono.

"So we are agreed on our course of action?" Enich asked the assembly. He spoke in ancient vampire, as did all present, so one language was spoken and understood by all.

There was muttering.

"Do we take that as a yes?" Imophen demanded.

"Yes," shouted several voices.

"Anything to get rid of that girl."

"Or at least to safeguard ourselves against her."

"We cannot do that," Lilith said. "We have explained this to you all ready."

"What I want to know is why the humans were allowed to do this in the first place," shouted a woman, Nyssa, from the middle of the seats.

"And why someone did not stop them," shouted another Lord.

"Nyssa, you know that has no bearing on the discussion," Metujael said. "All that matters is that we do something."

"But why?" asked a man named Zelig. "We have always been the predators. For millennia we hunted humans and they cowered before us. Why do we need to do anything?"

Nyssa stood and glared at him. "Why? You stupid old fool! Because times and circumstances have changed! We cannot fight this girl! We cannot stand up to her!"

"She is too powerful," Imophen added. "Even we Lords are no match for her."

"So wait till she dies," Zelig countered. "We will all outlive her if we stay out of her way."

"She will be replaced," Enich said. "We told you this once. We have killed this Slayer and another one takes up her fight."

"We do grow stronger as the years progress," Imophen added. "But even if I were to live another several millennia, she would be too powerful."

"The humans did a good job when they endowed this Slayer," Nyssa said as she took her seat. "So just say 'yes' so we can counter the humans."

"Again, are the terms agreeable?" Enich asked.

There was a resounding chorus of "yes." Enich looked over at Metujael.

"And the price?" he asked.

"Dear," Imophen said. "Who drew the lots?"

Three Lords stood. Lilith motioned for them to come on stage.

"Leah, Haggaih, and Philemaus," she said. "Our loss will be great with your sacrifice."

"We understand it must be done," Haggaih said.

Lilith nodded solemnly. The tent grew silent. After a moment's pause, Lilith broke the silence once more.

"And our three Masters?"

"From Sira, Terah, and Mizria's camps," Philemaus replied. "Felix, Hila and Callistus."

"They must be the first to the pen tonight," Lilith instructed Imophen. "They must each have a virginal human for the ceremony. They are to keep their human with them, and not feed off them until then. Tonight is the last night of my preparations." She looked over at Enich, "Is my disk of stone ready?"

"I have commissioned it," he answered. "It will be here."

"Good," she said.

"Tomorrow night we proceed," Metujael said. "At last."

Lilith gave him a scathing look. "Tomorrow night we shake the very foundations of time."

She turned and left the stage. As she did she whispered to herself. "And we see if my power is enough to withstand such pressure."

"I just think you should tell them," Giles said. "At least let them know your background and experience. It could encourage them."

"I appreciate your confidence, but I do not want to bring up my past," Fr. McMillan replied.

"I, for one, think it is an advantage, not a handicap."

"It has nothing to do with it hindering me. That part of my life is dead and gone."

Giles sighed. He and Fr. McMillan spent the afternoon in the kitchen going round and round. Giles would bring up an argument and McMillan would refute it. The most frustrating part for Giles was that the other man seemed to have an endless well of patience with him.

"For God's sake, man! Are you going to get mad at me some time today and tell me it's none of my business?" Giles finally snapped.

"Would it do any good?"

"Of course, I'm English."

"Oh. Well, then mind your own damn business!"

"That's better," Giles said with a smile.

"The truth is, Rupert, I just don't think of an argument with you as being worth me losing my temper. And I don't see the point in telling Buffy and the others about my past."

"What about your past?" Buffy asked from the doorway. She was standing with her arms folded on her chest, leaning against the frame.

McMillan looked at Giles with a trapped look. The Englishman shrugged his shoulders, tilted his head slightly to one side, and narrowed his eyes in a look of sympathy.

"You should tell them," he insisted.

"Tell us what?" Buffy asked.

McMillan sighed.

"Bane, I'm surprised to see you so soon," the Mistress said as the giant walked into her throne room. "The sun hasn't even set, so you can't have been able to kill any Slayers yet."

"Indeed, I have not."

"Then why are you here?"

Bane needed to be extremely cautious. If the Mistress even suspected his true intentions, all his planning would be for naught.

"I came to inquire about my previous garment."

"That old robe? I had it burned. It was so abused and really, you needed it replaced."

This was where he needed to be particularly careful. He had to assert his own will ever so slightly without arousing suspicion. It was the first in a series of tests that Bane wanted to perform before putting his plan into action. For this test, he needed to see if he could mislead the Mistress.

"It was mystically enhanced," he said flatly. "To always repair itself so I would need not replace my clothing."

"Really?" Her tone did not convey true surprise.

"Yes. All I needed to do was wash the salt out of it, and it would restore itself."

"You don't like the robe I had made for you?"

"It is splendid. But it will repair itself not."

"Well, I'd have a few more made for you, but Jacqueline was one of those killed last night." When she mentioned her child's name, her voice hitched. The Mistress really did love most of her children, and hated losing them.

"Most unfortunate, that," Bane agreed with a straight face.

"Are you sure there was nothing you could have done to prevent her death?"

Bane summoned every speck of willpower he possessed as the Mistress gazed intensely into his eyes. Her commanding presence bore into his mind and demanded the truth. He fought back, something he was not sure he could do.

"Certainly, Mistress. If I could prevent the loss of any vampire to a Slayer, it would be done."

The Mistress stared hard at Bane for a few moments longer. Satisfied, she leaned back into her throne and relaxed.

"Glad to hear it," she said. "Now, go out tonight and observe this Buffy Summers. Find out why she is so special. Then kill her when the time is right. I leave the decision up to you."

"Thank you, Mistress."

"Kill the other Slayers if you can."

"Yes, Mistress." Bane turned to leave.

"Oh, by the way," the Mistress said. "Who was it that mystically altered your robe?"

Bane turned and leveled a blank look at her. "I believe it was the same sooth-sayer that prophesied your doom."

The Mistress sat back in shock. Bane turned and left, a satisfied smile plastered on his face. Lying to her was easier than he thought; there was no enhancement to his robe, just a story. One that he imagined to gauge his freedom, which was more than he anticipated.

"I don't know what the big deal is," Dawn stated.

"Yeah, what's so bad about that?" Xander asked.

"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it," McMillan replied. "I just don't see the point in telling everyone I meet about it."

"You mean you don't like to brag about your past?" Faith asked. "Most guys I know would be letting everyone know."

"What can I say? I'm not most guys."

"So you were in the Navy, as a SEAL," Vi stated to clarify what McMillan just told them. "And now you're a priest."

"A real, honest-to-God priest, with credentials and everything?" Kennedy asked. "Not just some psycho all hell-bent on taking over the world with the First?"

"As I stated previously, he is held in high regard," Giles said.

"No offense or anything, Father, but why are you so highly regarded?" Willow asked.

"Because I've done so well at turning my back on my old life and leading my flock to Jesus."

Giles coughed. McMillan gave him a hard glare. Everyone in the room looked between the two men with bewildered looks. Everyone but Buffy, who was staring out into space. She came to a conclusion and turned to regard the priest.

"So that's why you kept up so well when we fought?" she asked.

"Wait a minute? You two fought?" Xander interrupted.

"It was a misunderstanding," McMillan dismissed the inquiry. "And yes, that's why I could keep up with you, Buffy."

"And your really bad day at work?" she asked.

"Led me to be a priest," he finished.

"What happened?" Buffy insisted.

"I watched a demon tear apart my unit like they were nothing," McMillan answered. "So much death and destruction, and I had no way to fight back."

"How'd you survive?" Dawn asked.

"I wouldn't have," McMillan admitted. "Except for the last man in my unit. His name's Demetrius and he could see the demon, too. To this day, I still don't know how he did it, but he sent the thing back to hell. After that, we both quit the Teams. I went into the priesthood, he became a free-lance demon hunter."

"What do you mean 'somehow?' Didn't he just kill it?" Kennedy asked.

"Perhaps an explanation is due," Giles said. "For the past eight years Buffy, you've been fighting vampires and demons."

"Right," she said, not knowing where Giles was heading with this.

"The demons have all been of the corporeal sort."

"You mean where I can touch them and kill them, physically."

"Exactly. But have you ever wondered what kind of demon it is that makes a vampire?"

No one spoke. Giles continued.

"As you all know, a vampire is a hybrid. Half demon, half human."

"Save it Giles, we know," Faith cut him off before he could launch into a lengthy exposition.

"Yes, quite right," Giles hemmed a little. He took a deep breath and continued, "The demons that make a vampire demonic are non-corporeal. That is why they can inhabit a human corpse."

"Okay, so they don't have bodies. Which is why they take over a human's," Kennedy said. "So what does this have to do with Father McMillan?"

"These non-corporeal demons also like to possess living humans," McMillan took up the explanation. "I exorcise them."

"They need to get in shape?" Xander quipped.

"I send them back to hell, where they belong," McMillan said.

"So you can see these demons who don't have bodies?" Willow asked.

"I can see that they're there," McMillan replied. "I see something like heat shimmering off a highway. I can also tell if someone's possessed."

"And your friend, this Demetrius guy?" Kennedy asked.

"I never thought to ask him what he saw."

"I bet it wasn't nice," Vi said. "To make you both quit the Navy."

"You must be pretty good at what you do, then," Faith said.

"Why do you say that?"

"Let's look at the facts. One: Giles says you're held in high regard. He never lies about stuff like that. Two: You're a priest on a hellmouth, probably put here to handle the extra possessions that would naturally happen here. Three: You don't like to brag about it."

"Wow, Faith, that was pretty deep," Kennedy said.

"Thanks."

"Well, now that we know you're background, what it is you're really doing here, and that you're really good at it, I guess we can count you in," Buffy announced.

"Count me in what?"

"Count you in as one of our allies," Buffy answered. "Someone we can count on if we need an extra hand dealing with the baddies." She beamed with joy at a newfound ally, especially one that would come in so handy.

McMillan turned to level and accusing gaze at Giles. "This is why I don't tell people about my real work."

Buffy's look of joy became one of concern. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not prepared or trained to fight vampires and corporeal demons," Macmillan explained. "And fighting the darkness the way I do takes up a lot of my time and energy."

"But it's the same fight," Buffy argued.

McMillan opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again. He sat thinking about her last statement. There was a knock at the door, which Xander answered. By the time he came back with the four boxes of pizza, McMillan made his decision.

"All right, I'll help out in any way I can. Not saying it'll be a lot, but what I can do, I will."

"You're kidding, right?" Kennedy asked. "A former SEAL, exorcist extrodinaire telling us he won't be much help?"

"I'm also very busy," McMillan replied. "As Faith pointed out, being on a hellmouth keeps me hopping and popping."

"Well, with all that hopping and popping, you must get hungry," Xander said. "And I have just the thing to fix that." He put the pizza on the coffee table.

"And after we're done eating we can all go through the books Father McMillan brought us," Giles stated.

"Oh goody, more research," Dawn quipped.

"What have I let myself in for?" McMillan looked to sky in supplication.

"Don't worry, it's not so bad after the first three hours," Willow said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, then your brain goes all numb," Kennedy added, putting her hand on his other shoulder.

McMillan sighed heavily.

Bane crouched behind one of the cars parked across the street from the Slayer's house. The hellmouth occasionally interfered with his senses, but he knew that all four Slayers were within. They were there when he arrived just after nightfall and now, three hours later, they still were inside.

Crouched beside him, almost lost in the shadow caused by the behemoth, was Roman. The Master vampire sat down and stretched out his legs.

"How long are we going to sit here?"

"I need your supervision not," Bane replied. "You may leave if you are so inclined."

"The Mistress told me to baby-sit you. If she told me to dress like Judy Garland and hunt for a year like that in drag-bars, I would do it."

"Who is Judy Garland? And what is a drag-bar?"

"Never mind. Let's just say it'd be extreme."

"Such loyalty."

"The power of the sire."

"The power of the Mistress," Bane corrected. "Now, be quiet so that our position remains unspoiled."

"What are you going to do if they come out?" Like all the other vampires with the Mistress, he was eager to see Bane in action.

"Observe, record, and evaluate."

"What? You aren't going to kill them?"

"Absolutely not."

"Why?"

"If I told you, you would tell her. And she would know. And I can not have her knowing."

"What are you talking about?" Roman stood to leave, "You're crazy and I'm letting the Mistress know how unstable you are. Maybe it's the hellmouth, or maybe it's 'cause you're so old. I don't care one way or the other. But she's finding out."

Bane stood to intercept him, his eyes never leaving the house. He reached out to grab Roman, but froze when the front door opened and he caught sight of Dawn emerging.

Something happened to Bane that had never happened before in his five thousand-year life span. He was awe-struck by the beauty before him. His mouth went dry, he focused only on her, and he completely forgot where he was. Bane's head felt light, his feet rooted to the ground, his arms forgotten entirely.

He stood in that hazy fogged daze until she went back inside. Only when Dawn no longer filled his vision did he snap back to himself. Looking around, he saw Roman was gone. With a grunt, Bane ran after him. He could not let anything interfere with his plans.


	12. Part 3 Chapter 3

Chapter III

Egyptian Desert: 5000 Yeas Ago

The moon was full and bright, bathing the encampment in silvery light. The white orb hovered close to the Earth, as if ready to fall and wipe out the vampire camp in response to what they planned for the night.

Next to the huge meeting tent was a large open space. Inside this space were four large bonfires. Connecting the four fires were trenches dug in the sand to create a box. Other lines were dug in the sand, connecting the bonfires with the ones diagonally opposite.

A three-foot circle was drawn around the "X" where these trenches intersected in the center of the box. Within the circle nine archaic symbols were drawn in the sand.

Lilith stood outside the circle, mumbling an incantation. The language she used was ancient, even by vampire standards. Only one or two other vampires even knew how to speak it, and they were afraid to do so.

The language was used by pure demons for the darkest of magicks. It was, in and of itself, evil and exacted a high price for use, especially from hybrids such as vampires. For the Lords to even consider using the incantations needed for what they wanted spoke of the panic sweeping through their midst.

Lilith stopped chanting and stood back from the circle. She turned and saw Metujael watching her from beside a bonfire.

"Is all prepared?" he asked.

"It is," she answered. "But I must remind you that what we are dealing with is extremely dangerous."

"You agreed to it."

"I know I did. But what we are creating tonight–"

"Is a necessary survival tactic. We are dying. Slowly but surely we are being picked off by these … Slayers." The last word was spat with contempt.

"I know why we must do it," Lilith said. "But this is a drastic measure. Drastic and foolhardy. The danger this solution presents may not be worth the problem we are dealing with."

"We need a Champion," Metujael began. "As strong as we are, this human Slayer is stronger. We need to–"

"Spare me your speeches, Metujael," Lilith cut him off. "I have heard them all. I will do it. I only wanted to voice my concerns."

"I am glad you are concerned. It means you will not take your duty lightly."

"As the only one of our people who can perform this powerful a spell, I cannot take my duty lightly." She turned from him. "Bring our people. Remind them not to cross the lines connecting the bonfires."

Metujael turned and did as told. With him gone, Lilith looked over the array once more. Three weeks preparation of her mind and body, two days to prepare the area, and one full moon this close to the Earth. She was as ready as she could be for the night she needed to perform the ritual.

No vampire knew exactly what magicks were used by the humans to create the Slayer Legacy. Since all the Lords agreed that their Champion had to be better in every aspect than the Slayer, only the True Demonic Tongue could be used. The spell would create their warrior without the caster knowing exactly what that entailed. Lilith would unleash the magic and the magic would latch onto the Slayer's Legacy, find what she wanted, and give it to her, within the perimeters she specified.

In theory, that was how it would work. For all Lilith knew, while attempting to harness such powers, she could obliterate herself along with everyone within a hundred-mile radius. She was frightened. But she gave her word to perform the task, and she would finish the job. If she survived, there was always the promise of payment from the other Lords. That thought fortified her.

Her face morphed as she mumbled the final preparatory phrases. Her eyes became black at the irises with red streaking the yellow coloring. Her canines glinted in the light of the fires and the moon. As she waited for the crowd of vampires to get to the large area boxed in by the bonfires, she pricked her index finger. Stepping gingerly and making sure not to touch any lines in the sand, she squeezed a drop of blood onto each of the nine symbols within the circle.

When she was finished, she turned to see every vampire in the camp in one large ring encircling the bonfires. She focused her attention on Enich.

"Where is my stone?"

Enich motioned with his arm. Two of his Masters came out of the crowd, carrying between them a slab of granite. It was a flat disc, three feet wide and a foot thick.

"Put it down." They obeyed instantly. She turned to the three Lords whose lots were drawn the previous day. "Pick up the stone. Only those involved in the ritual can cross the lines, now."

Philemaus, Leah, and Haggaih gathered around the stone disc. They wore disgruntled looks at being ordered to do manual labor. As one, they cast a glare at Lilith before picking up the stone. She ignored the looks.

"Bring it over here carefully," she instructed. "Do not touch any of the lines in the sand. To do so is perilous. Put it over the circle I drew. Make certain the stone and the circle match completely."

The three Lords put on long-suffering looks but did as instructed. They stepped carefully to make sure the trenches in the sand were unmolested. Lilith was an extremely powerful witch, the only one of them able to handle the True Tongue. If she said something was dangerous, it must be so – this night of all nights, especially.

As soon as the stone rested on the sand it began to hiss. Lilith shooed the curious Lords away from the stone, directing them to stand near a bonfire, mindful of the lines in the sand, until she told them where to position themselves.

The stone was not only hissing by this time, but also smoking. The runes Lilith drew on the sand and dropped blood onto were burning their way through the granite. After a few minutes, the symbols were perfectly represented in the stone, looking like a master craftsman had chiseled them so they would reach all the way through.

When the stone was ready, Lilith turned to the Lords in the box with her.

"Each of you take a side of the box and stand half-way down the line."

They complied. She looked at the crowd outside the box.

"Where are my Masters and the humans?" Lilith asked.

Felix, Hila and Callistus stepped out from the throng. Each was holding a human by the scruff of their neck. The humans looked scared, the vampires looked terrified.

"Well, get in here, but do not touch the lines," Lilith said. "Feed off your human as if you would sire them, but do not feed them in return."

Once they were in and done feeding, she had them lay their humans down around the circle, forming a triangle around it. The bodies were placed over the diagonal trenches that connected the bonfires.

"Now, sit on your human's chest," she instructed.

When they were done, she approached the only side of the box without a Lord. Waiting there for her was one of her children, a Master vampire named Adrius, holding a large earthen bowl. Adrius reached over the line and handed the bowl to Lilith, who turned and had every vampire within the box put some of their own blood into it.

She mixed sand with the blood until she had pasty mud. With this she drew a different archaic symbol on the forehead of each person within the box, even the humans. The nine symbols in the stone matched the nine on the foreheads. Done with that, she took her place along the trench where Adrius had given her the bowl. Lilith then addressed the crowd.

"Tighten the circle. You shall keep the magic contained." When they hesitated, she explained, "If the magic is not contained, there is no telling what could happen. But it will not be good."

When they did as told, she turned so she was facing the granite disc. In the True Tongue she began her invocation.

"By the heat of the fires we forge thee!" she shouted.

The flames of the four bonfires shrank, drawing into themselves until only the coals were glowing. The area went from being lit like sunset to only the light of the moon.

With the remaining mud in her bowl, Lilith began to form little balls, which she placed gently on the ground in front of her.

"From our desires we bring thee forth!" her voice carried through the night.

The bonfire to her left flared. Sparks and flames shot high into the sky. All those in the crowd jumped with surprise.

"With the power of the night we mold thee!"

The next bonfire to the left flared like the first.

"By the right of blood we create thee!"

The flames of the third bonfire jumped to life.

"With our wills we command thee! Come!"

The fourth bonfire exploded. All four had flames reaching high into the night. The yellow, orange and green dance of heat stretched to the heavens, towering over the desert at dizzying heights, much more so than nature ever intended.

The runes of the granite disc began to shift. The holes moved in hectic patterns while the stone retained its integrity. Matching the spinning, twirling runes in the stone, the symbols drawn on foreheads began to move, making their owners' heads jerk and quiver erratically.

Lilith finished with her ninth and last ball. She put it on the ground in front of her feet with the rest of them. They began to glow.

The wind shrieked within the box. The flames of the bonfires were unaffected, shooting straight into the air. The clothing on the vampires and humans in the box was whipped around, while those standing without were untouched. Lilith screamed over the wind.

"With these lives we give thee being! Their bodies for your form! Their death for your birth! Come!"

Storm clouds began to cover the impossibly large moon. Fire, two-foot high, filled all the trenches that touched the bonfires. Where the humans lay across the diagonal lines, the fire kept to the bottom of the trenches.

Lilith held out her hands, fingers splayed and thumbs touching. Red light shot from the nine mud balls at her feet to each of her fingers, one light stream for where her thumbs touched.

The Master vampires and the vampire Lords inside the box became rigid and stiff as the symbols on their foreheads stopped moving. Lilith's scream was barely audible above the screeching wind.

"Endowed with the strength to kill, the speed to defeat, and the power to destroy the Slayer!"

Lightning flashed and thunder rolled in response to her words.

"May he know the Slayer by sight and may their scent mark them! Their blood shall sing to him! His appetite for their lives be ever unquenchable!"

Rain began to pound upon those within the box. In seconds they were soaked to the skin. Those encircling the bonfires watched in awe as a tempest raged only feet from them. Lilith's words were lost to their hearing.

"Sunlight to kill him! Silver to contain him! Salt to take his strength! No other weakness shall he have!"

The storm reached near-hurricane level. Lilith strained to keep the words clear in her mind as she said them since she could not hear her own voice.

"Sustenance from vampires! Subject to Lords! His will theirs while they walk the Earth! His memories ours for the taking!"

The two-foot high flames inside the trenches became walls of fire. The lines of light connecting the balls of mud to Lilith's hands began to grow until they merged into one bar of red energy.

"A he to their she, power to their weakness and invincible to their strength! He will use terror as a weapon, instill fear in their hearts and turn their emotions against them!"

The runes in the stone, which never stopped moving, became a blur. The granite disc began to rattle.

"From the depths of eternity with the force of these words, he is made flesh! Our warrior from whom all warriors shall spring! Let him intimidate with size, overwhelm with speed, and crush with power!"

The balls of mud at Lilith's feet began to float. They shot out, each one seeking a symbol on a forehead.

"The Champion of vampires! The Bane of Slayers! Now … WALK!"

At Lilith's final words, the last mud ball connected with the last forehead. Everything stopped. The wind died. The rain ceased. The granite disc stopped moving, as did the runes inside. The bonfires were frozen in space, the flames standing still. The entire world was paused.

Lilith deliberately forced her eyes closed. And just as deliberately, she opened them once more. Her eyes moved with incredibly slow movements.

The granite disc split in two with a loud pop. Silently, it crumbled into itself.

The world started up again with a vengeance. Lightning lit up the sky in endless zigzagging forks. Thunder drowned out all other sounds with un-ending peals. Wind whipped the pounding rain so it came down sideways.

Imploding once more, the bonfires were sucked along the trenches to the circle. The walls of fire outlining the box began to move toward the circle as well, flames consumed all in their path. Sand, vampire, human, they all disappeared in the inferno. Only Lilith remained unscathed.

When the flames reached the circle, they curled up and then down into the crumbled stone. The flames seared into the powered granite, which drew the fire in.

When the last of the fire was consumed all light, all noise was cut off, and the desert plunged into darkness.

The clouds obscuring the moon moved, light bathing the area once more with its silvery tint. All the vampires were on their backs. One by one, they got to their feet.

Lilith stood and stretched. She felt wrung out. The spell did not consume her or harm her, but it did change her. Her beautiful red hair was now black as pitch. Her facial ridges were deep and her canines long while the rest of her teeth had shrank.

She turned to the center of the box, where the granite disc sat. Standing tall and naked was the biggest vampire she had ever seen. He looked around, and their eyes met. Instantly, Lilith knew.

"We have our Champion," she whispered hoarsely.

Buffy stepped outside onto her porch, glorying in the crisp January morning. The cold snapped her eyes open and invigorated her skin. She stretched with languid ease. Yesterday may not have been productive as far as research was concerned, but Buffy was happy with the results of the day.

Father McMillan turned out to be a determined man. He kept all of them in Buffy's living room hours after they wanted to leave, scouring Giles' resources for any information. His dogged attitude went unrewarded, but it showed the level of commitment he brought to problems. Buffy knew from first hand experience that such tenacity would come in handy.

Done with her stretching, Buffy looked around. A frost covered the neighborhood. Car windows would need to be scraped and people needed to step gingerly until the morning sun softened the sheen of ice.

She noticed a plain white envelope at her feet. Bending down, she scooped it up, noticing her name written in big, bold, flowing script. Frowning with puzzlement, she ripped open the envelope and pulled out a note written in the same hand. She read it while standing on the porch.

_Slayer,_

_The Mistress is an ancient vampire; her powers are near limitless. She is not fond of being underground. _

_The only avenue to destroy her is to proclaim her name within her presence. This shall entrap her and allow you to end her existence._

_The Mistress Is. 3414._

Buffy looked up, her look of puzzlement deepening to one of concentration.

"What does that mean? The Mistress is thirty-four fourteen? Thirty-four fourteen what? And who left this?"

She turned and entered her house, re-reading the note as she did. She had to talk to Giles and Willow. Maybe they would know.

"I sent Roman out with you and he did not come back."

Bane was expecting something like the statement that greeted him when he walked into the Mistress' throne room. Killing one of her children after she strictly forbade him was a test of the loosening of the bonds of servitude he existed under. Killing a second one was proof he was becoming his own being.

"He did not?"

"No," the Mistress replied. "I was wondering if you knew what happened to him."

Bane strode into the room, the lie coming easily to his lips.

"I would imagine he became careless and one of the Slayers, if not all of them together, destroyed him."

"How could any of them slay him when I sent him out with you?"

The Mistress' eyes bored into Bane's, demanding answers. Her will leaned into his, forcing him to state the truth. Bane simply shrugged off the effects she caused. The stronger he became, the easier it was to do.

"He became bored and left to feed." Yesterday, lying to the Mistress took all of his energy, but today it was merely taxing. "That was the last I saw of him."

"Why would Roman leave to feed when I ordered him to stay with you?"

"That is something only Roman could answer."

"Why didn't you stop him?"

"You told him to stay with me, not me to stay with him," Bane shrugged. "It mattered to me not if he remained or left."

"Hm," she looked doubtful. Yet, she had no choice but to believe him. Bane was unable to lie to her, and while the hellmouth made their "bond" hard to read, it was still there, strong as ever. At least to her senses, it was. She pushed aside her niggling suspicions and tilted her head to one side.

"And the Slayer, Buffy? How are things coming there?"

"I am observing her still."

"Last night?"

"Fruitful," he said. "Soon – within the week I suspect – I shall end your worries as concerns this Slayer."

"Good."

Xander opened his apartment door to see Buffy.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be out patrolling?"

"We decided to cut it short tonight," she answered.

"So where's Faith and the other two?"

"Coming. Faith and Vi are grabbing something to eat. Kennedy's getting Willow and Dawn."

"So I'm guessing another research session. And so soon after our last grueling one. That's good, 'cause I haven't had my dose of mind-numbing page staring today."

"Actually, it's going to be more of a brainstorming session," Buffy replied. She pulled something out of her pocket. "I found this envelope on my porch this morning."

Xander took the note and read it. When done, he looked up with a smile.

"Direct and to the point. A bit cryptic, but who isn't these days? I take it you've shown the other girls?"

"Everyone but Willow's seen it. Dawn had a peek this morning." Buffy stood on her tiptoes and peered at the note. "So what do you think?"

Before Xander could answer, the door opened and Faith, Vi, Kennedy, Willow, and Dawn came in. Each woman was carrying a grocery bag. In the flurry of activity that followed, getting the food out and everyone set in the living room, Xander was unable to tell Buffy his impressions of the note.

When they were settled, Buffy handed the note to Willow.

"I found it on my porch this morning. I don't know where it came from or who sent it. All I know is that someone who knows I'm the Slayer–"

"A Slayer." Kennedy corrected.

"A Slayer," Buffy amended. "They know who I am and they left it for me to find."

"It sounds like whoever wrote this is confident in what they're saying. The tone is very authoritative and no-nonsense." Willow said.

"But does that make it trustworthy, though?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, what kind of self-respecting snitch doesn't sign their name?" Xander wondered.

"Someone who's too close?" Vi suggested.

"Someone who knew that if Buffy didn't get the note, then the Mistress might and they couldn't afford her to know she was being ratted on?" Kennedy added.

"Okay, I can see that," Xander said.

"So if this letter is true?" Faith asked.

"Then we know more now than we did after weeks of research," Willow answered.

"She doesn't like being underground," Kennedy pointed out.

"Something about her name trapping her, whatever that means," Vi said.

"What about that last line?" Buffy asked. "The Mistress is thirty-four fourteen. Any ideas on that?"

"Could be anything." Dawn said.

"I'm thinking that since the note says it's her only weakness, it has something to do with her name," Faith stated.

"That's what I thought." Kennedy said.

"Me, too," Vi piped up.

"Okay, but what does it have to do with her name?" Buffy asked.

"What about thirty-four fourteen being a reference number?" Dawn suggested. "In a book, or something?"

"But why not just give the book, too?" Kennedy asked.

"Well, maybe the book's number is there. And the page, too?" Willow offered.

"But why not just tell us?" Vi asked.

"That's not the way it works," Dawn said. "If we do get answers, they're always in the form of a riddle or an obscure poem."

"Yeah, I mean, it would just be way too easy and make way too much sense for them to just come out and say what they mean," Xander added. "Would it be that hard for them to say, 'this is the Mistress' name, use it to kill her?' No. But do we get that? No. We get cryptic messages we can't decipher."

"Thank you, Xander for the weekly over-react." Faith quipped.

"I'm just saying," he defended. "Why can't we get normal help. Why do they always have to be so…"

"Obscure?" Vi filled in.

"Yes."

"I know," Buffy admitted. "I would love to get help that really helped. But this is all we've got on her. Like it or not."

"Speaking of real help, where's that hunk of a priest?" Kennedy asked. Willow swatted her and Vi scoffed. "What? I'm just paraphrasing Faith and commenting on Buffy's reaction to him."

"First of all…" Buffy trailed off as she tried to come up with a suitable argument. She shook her head. "No. You know what? I'm not even going to dignify that comment with a response."

"Father McMillan's MIA right now," Dawn informed the group.

"What? Is he okay?" Faith asked.

"Oh, he's alive," Dawn replied. "His secretary told us he's off doing his 'other job.' She didn't know when he'd be back."

"Too bad, he could've helped us figure out what the hell thirty-four fourteen means," Faith said.

"Where's Giles?" Xander asked.

"Gone recruiting more Slayers," Willow answered. "Took off this morning."

"Well, at least the note doesn't say she's invulnerable," Vi said. "That's a good thing, right?"

"And maybe whoever wrote this note couldn't write the name," Dawn suggested.

"Why not?"

"If it's so powerful over her, maybe writing it would be just as powerful as speaking it."

"Then will we know what her name is from a huge power surge when we say it?" Faith asked.

"I'm thinking no," Willow answered. "My guess is that it only has power around her."

"And if this was written by someone who really knows what they're saying…" Buffy picked up on the line of thought.

"They'd have to be close to the Mistress," Willow continued. "Like living in the same building, close."

"Like being a child, close," Xander added.

"And being so close, writing it could affect her. And that couldn't be good for us." Willow finished.

"Why not?" Dawn asked. "It would affect her. Probably hurt her. I don't see a bad to that."

"Me neither," Vi said.

"It would ruin the element of surprise," Kennedy said with a smile. She understood the reasoning.

"Right," Buffy said. "If her name's so powerful, we want to spring it on her when she least expects it."

"Okay, I'm on board with that," Faith said. "But how do we find her name?"

"Well, I've been online all day," Dawn said. "Trying to see if there's any significance to either number."

"And I can run them through some algorithms," Willow added. "See what they turn up."

"The rest of us can just sit here and brainstorm," Buffy said. "Come up with the craziest, stupidest, tiniest most off-the-wall things we can think of. Nothing is too dumb or weird. Somehow we've got to figure this out."

Three hours later Vi and Dawn decided they had enough. They said goodbye and walked back to Buffy's house. Actually, it was Dawn who had enough; she searched the Internet all day long and then again that night. Her eyes were sore, her vision blurry, and her wrists hurt from typing and maneuvering her mouse. Vi came along to escort the younger Summers through the lethal streets.

"Thanks for coming with," Dawn said as her home loomed into her line of sight. "Buffy wouldn't let me walk alone, and I just couldn't stay focused anymore."

"No big," Vi replied. "I needed to get out and stretch. We cut the patrol short tonight so we could go over to Xander and Faith's. This is going to sound weird, but with how tough things've been since I came to Cleveland, I'm just not used to no action anymore."

"Perhaps I can alleviate that concern," a gravelly voice sounded from the darkness.

Both girls' heads whipped around to find the speaker. Just to Vi's left he came, stepping into a pool of light cast by a street lamp. Vi froze with fear and Dawn gasped.

"Oh my God," she whispered. "You're…"

"Buried alive?" Bane finished when she trailed off. "I was, but now I am free."

Vi snapped out of her fear with a jerk. She stumbled to the right, walking into Dawn. The two girls fell to the sidewalk.

Bane was impressed. This thin Slayer was more powerful than he suspected. Not physically, but her willpower was immeasurable if she could willingly force herself out of the fear he induced in Slayers. She had a supple yet strong core to her being. Now that he was aware of it, he could feel it pulsing in time to her heart.

As he watched her regain her feet, he made a mental note of how fast she recovered from her fear on their first meeting. It would make an interesting side bar to his time in this Cleveland hellmouth.

Vi wasted no time once she regained her footing. She rushed Bane, jumping at the last second, putting her head down and her shoulder first. She barreled into him, intending to knock him down. Dawn's belated cry of warning was all the notice she got before she hit Bane.

Vi's shoulder collided. Instead of doubling the huge vampire over and pushing him back and down, she ricocheted off his stomach. Vi landed in a heap three yards from her intended target.

Bane stepped over to the stunned Slayer and lifted her off the ground. She lashed out with a kick to the face. Bane took the blow, never flinching, and retaliated with a straight-arm punch to her face. Vi was knocked unconscious.

Dawn launched herself at Bane, attempting to free Vi. She used all of what Buffy taught her since their arrival in Cleveland, along with some of the training she received from Xander on weekends. Buffy said she wanted to show Dawn the world. Dawn wanted to show Buffy she could take care of herself in it. So she trained with Buffy in hand to hand combat and she went to the gym with Xander to build her strength. As a result, she was the strongest girl and the best fighter in her junior class.

None of that mattered, though. As she laid into Bane with everything she had, her only thought was how much his body was hurting her fists. Attacking a slab of granite would feel the same. And it would have the same results.

Bane stood watching her for a few minutes, letting her tire herself out. When she began to slow, he dropped Vi and grabbed Dawn under her armpits with both hands.

Dawn yelped in surprise when he lifted her off the ground. She was shocked, though. She was expecting pain in her armpits and in her ribcage. But he was gentle as he brought her close to his face. She cringed as his breath washed over her. Another surprise came when it was not the stench of rot and death, instead having no smell at all.

"Together, we shall end the Mistress' worries over your sister," he said. "Together we shall bring them together for the sake of death."

"Death?" Dawn asked. Her voice broke with fear and the word came out as a squeak.

He smiled, "Death. Death and freedom."

Buffy got out of Willow's car and stretched as she stood. She bent down to look in the driver's window.

"Thanks for the ride, Wills."

"Hey, no problem. It was on our way."

"No it wasn't," Buffy replied. "It's a couple miles out of the way for you. But thanks for lying about it."

"Hey, I have to help my friend."

"Goodnight," Buffy said as she straightened.

"See you tomorrow," Willow called as she drove off.

Buffy walked to her door. As she turned the lock, she looked around and noticed something lying in the shadows down the sidewalk. Curious, she stepped back from her door and approached whatever it was.

When she got closer, she saw it breathing. A person! She quickened her pace. Turning the poor soul over, she gasped in horror. It was Vi. If Vi was out here, down the street from Buffy's house, where was Dawn?

"Vi! Vi!" Buffy shook her gently.

Vi groaned. After a few more less-than-gentle shakes from Buffy, she began to stir. Her eyelids fluttered open, her pupils focusing on Buffy.

"Buffy! Where's Dawn?"

"That's what I was going to ask you."

Vi sat up and looked around. "We were coming home and this huge vampire attacked us."

"Huge?" Fear left Buffy's voice to be replaced with terror. "How huge?"

"So tall, I don't think I could've hit him in the face without jumping."

"Was he wearing a gray robe?"

"No, it was black."

"Ohmigod," Buffy whispered as she sat back on her haunches.

"I'm sorry, Buffy. He must have knocked me out."

"Are you okay? Did he feed off you?"

Vi felt her neck. Upon finding the surface smooth and the skin unmarked, she shrugged.

"Nope. But what about Dawn?"

"We need to find her."

The basement of the old Marcincko Mental Hospital was huge. Since the Mistress' arrival, it had been remodeled slightly. Now the basement was divided into several large cavernous rooms. In the back of the basement, farthest from the sewer entrance and the stairs leading to the upper levels, was Bane's room.

Bane's room was the smallest section of the basement. Even so, it was big enough to house a twelve-by-twelve foot silver cage to one side. Inside the cage was a simple cot, a washstand with a pitcher and bowl, and two buckets in the corner. Opposite the cage were two cedar chests, each large enough to fit two or three people inside. Other than those sparse furnishings, the room was barren.

Bane walked in, carrying an unconscious Dawn in his arms. After picking her up just outside her house and cryptically explaining what he wanted, Bane had brought to bear all his power and directed it at Dawn. Not being a Slayer, she felt only a fraction of the mind-numbing terror, but it was enough to make her pass out.

He strode over to his cage and set her down gently on the cot. Looking down, he smiled before turning away and locking the cage door. He crossed the room and pulled one of the cedar chests from the far wall into the center of the room. As he sat down he heard Dawn groan. She began to move as the effects of fear wore off.

"Hello, little girl."

"I have a name," she said. Her voice was raspy, her throat parched.

"My mistake, little girl. So what is your name, perchance?"

"Stop calling me that! My name is Dawn!" She bolted upright and glared at him.

"A beautiful name," Bane said. Her outburst was ignored. "I would expect no less from a vision such as you."

Dawn's eyebrows rose. "'A vision such as you?' You're kidding, right?" She swallowed painfully, "Got any water?"

"The pail in the corner has some."

Dawn stood, wobbled a little, then stood tall and strong. She took a step toward the corner of the cage.

"When my sister gets here–"

"It shall be a time and circumstance of my choosing. She cannot find us unless I tell her where we are located."

"You've obviously underestimated my sister. She'll tear this town apart to find me."

Dawn ladled out some water from the bucket and took a drink.

"While I doubt not your sister's commitment to finding you, I think you underestimate the size of this Cleveland hellmouth."

"So how's she going to find me?"

"I shall tell her."

"Buffy'll know it's a trap."

"True," Bane admitted with a shrug. "However, I am not interested in killing your sister. Thus it matters little if she thinks she is walking into a trap."

"You're not interested in killing my sister?"

"No. I am interested in what she can do for me."

"And what's that?"

Bane smiled and stood. He looked down at Dawn and spun on his heel. He began to leave the room.

"What's Buffy going to do for you?"

"Free me from centuries of slavery," he replied over his shoulder. "And kill the Mistress."

Vi was waiting for the others to show up. After getting the news Bane was back in action and was the one who took Dawn, Buffy went into over-drive. She put Vi in her house, ordering her to call everyone at nine o'clock in the morning, no later. When Vi agreed, Buffy took off to look for Dawn.

Now it was nine-thirty and Vi was pacing nervously in the living room. She was sure Buffy hated her for letting Dawn get taken. And she was just as sure the others thought her weak and useless as a Slayer for letting Bane beat her so easily. Now she awaited their condemnation of her.

The first to arrive were, predictably enough, Xander and Faith. Xander looked around, saw Vi and immediately approached her. Vi braced herself for the tongue-lashing she knew she would get. Xander loved Dawn and never let anything happen to her.

She flinched when Xander got close. His arms shot out, and she shrank back, expecting a blow. She was surprised when he enveloped her in a hug. Vi stood stiff with shock at first. But as Xander held her in his strong yet gentle embrace, she relaxed and returned the gesture.

"You okay?" he asked in a whisper.

"I'm not hurt."

"That's not what I asked."

Vi stepped out of his arms and smiled at him.

"I'm freaked, but not too bad."

"Okay," he smiled and stepped back.

The next big surprise came for Vi when Faith replaced Xander and gave her a hug, asking the same thing. Vi answered much as before.

"I've seen Bane. I've fought him twice," Faith said. "And I've gone catatonic by his presence twice. You did good."

Vi found her voice by the end of Faith's little speech and was about to answer when Willow and Kennedy arrived. Vi found herself the recipient of two more hugs. When Kennedy finally let go, Vi stepped away from her.

"Why are you all being so supportive?" she asked. "I let Dawn get taken."

"Let is such a strong word," Xander said delicately.

"Especially when Bane was the one you 'let' take her," Willow added.

"Did you fight him?" Kennedy asked.

"Yeah."

"Did you land any hits?"

"Yeah."

"Did he overpower you, make you feel insignificant, and then drink your blood?"

"No on the drinking blood, yes on everything else."

"Then you did better than we did," Faith said. "And there were three of us."

"But Dawn's–"

"Going to be all right," Xander interrupted.

"We'll find her and we'll save her," Willow continued.

"Buffy must hate me," Vi said.

"Why?" Faith asked. "Because you faced an impossible enemy by yourself and survived?"

"Because I was with Dawn when she was kidnapped."

"So?" Kennedy asked.

"If she hated people for that kind of reason, she'd hate all of us in this room," Willow said.

"And that's a fact," Xander added.

Vi smiled. "So what do we do now?"

"We help Buffy find Dawn."


	13. Part 3 Chapter 4

Chapter IV

Bane walked into his room carrying a brown bag. He approached the large cage. Dawn stood and backed away from the bars.

"Come now," he said. "If I wanted to hurt you, you would be hurt by now."

He held out the brown bag between the bars of the cage. Dawn approached cautiously. She stopped a foot away from the bag and looked up at Bane. Seeing no malice or even impatience, she snatched the bag quickly and retreated to sit on the cot.

She pulled out a box of a dozen doughnuts and three boxes of orange juice. Looking up she smiled.

"Thanks." Her stomach growled, but other than that, there was no other sound in the cavernous room as she tore into the doughnuts. Looking up with powdered sugar smattered across the corners of her mouth, she regarded Bane.

"You know it is customary to respond to thanks with a 'your welcome.'"

"I shall endeavor to remember that."

"You talk strange," Dawn said as she bit into her second pastry. "And your accent is weird."

"Accent?"

"See, that's it. You don't have one."

"I understand not."

"See what I mean about talking funny?" She waved it away, "Everyone has an accent. You don't. It's like your voice is sterile, or something."

"But I sound like you. I must have your accent."

"No, you do not sound like me. You're too formal and there's something missing in your speech. You don't sound like anyone I've ever heard talk."

"Hm." The non-committal sound, coming from Bane, seemed to echo from the depths of a cave. It reverberated along the walls of the room and rattled inside Dawn's head.

That was when she realized what she was doing. She was criticizing the Terminator of the vampire world. As it was, the reality in front of Dawn was sobering enough.

Buffy, Faith, and Kennedy combined barely took him in that mine. Last night he made short work of Vi. There was no way Dawn Summers could ever even come close to taking him on. Her hands still hurt from when she hit him last night. She decided not to anger him or taunt him at all. It would be much safer that way.

"Fear not," he said.

Dawn's head whipped around so she was looking at him. "Fear? Who said I was afraid?"

"Your scent."

"Oh."

"I will harm you not."

"Yeah, 'cause the promise of a kidnapper is always so reliable."

Bane regarded Dawn but said nothing. She looked around as she opened one of the juice boxes he gave her.

"So this cage? What's the deal?"

"Silver contains me," Bane explained. "The Mistress commissioned it so I had a place to stay until she charged me with my duties."

"The Mistress?" Dawn's voice squeaked with fear. She blushed at the sound of her own voice. Clearing her throat she continued, "She's here?"

"Oh, yes. We are in the bowels of her lair."

"I'm sitting in a big cage, in the same room as an unstoppable killing machine, in the basement of the oldest and strongest vampire in the world?" By the end of her question, Dawn was screaming with fright. "Are you crazy?"

"I assure you I am quite sane," he replied calmly. "And you are quite safe. Just as long as you keep your voice down and none of her children are alerted to your presence. We are in the back of the basement. The chances of being found are slim."

"How slim? Like Callista Flockhart slim?" At his blank look she sighed, "Never mind."

"You are safe with me," Bane said. "I will allow no harm to befall you while you are in my charge."

"Well, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't exactly trust vampires offhand."

"I am a true vampire, not."

"See, that funny way of talking."

"I shall endeavor to fix that."

Dawn smiled and relaxed. She finished opening her juice and drank it down. Bane sat watching her.

Buffy came home to find everyone all ready there waiting for her. Xander, Vi, and Faith were leaning over a huge map of Cleveland that was spread out on the floor of the living room. A grid was drawn on it and they were color-coding certain locales as demon or vampire hot spots. Kennedy and Willow were on Willow's laptop doing an electronic search for anything that might point a way to Bane's whereabouts.

"What's going on?" Buffy asked.

"Hey, Buff," Xander said. "We're just figuring out the best places to look for Bane."

"And you couldn't tell me?"

"How could we? You were gone."

"Xander, Dawn's my sister. I had to go look for her."

"We know that Buffy," Willow said. "That's why we're here doing this instead of wasting time looking for you."

"What?"

"Yeah, we figured you'd either find her or you wouldn't," Xander explained. "If you did, you'd need back up. If you didn't, we'd have to search the town anyway."

"What the boy blunder is trying to say," Kennedy said. "Is that we thought it'd be best to go at this with a plan of attack. We figured it'd save Dawn's life that way."

Buffy nodded her head thoughtfully and sat down on her couch. Everyone else resumed what he or she was doing.

"Boy blunder?" Xander whispered to Faith.

"It diffused the situation," she replied with a shrug.

"I guess."

"She didn't mean it, Xander."

"Hm."

"No, really, she loves you." When Xander turned doubtful eyes on her Faith amended, "Okay, maybe not loves you. But she is fond of you. If for no other reason than Willow loves you."

"All right, then."

There was a knock at the door. Buffy bounded to her feet and ran to it. She opened it to see a Federal Express deliveryman standing on the other side.

"Buffy Summers?"

"Yeah."

"Sign here, please." He held out an electronic clipboard. Buffy dutifully signed, her apprehension growing with every movement of the pen.

"What's this for?"

"Your packages."

"Packages? As in more than one?"

"As in twelve. I'll be right back."

To Buffy's astonishment, he came back twelve times. Each time he carried a medium-sized box in front of him. She took the packages and placed them in front of the couch. When he was done, he smiled and left.

Buffy came into the living room with the last box held in front of her. This day was getting more and more strange. First, Bane was back from his salty tomb and he assaulted Vi and kidnapped Dawn. Then Wagner's was closed "until further notice." Her friends were getting all organizing and strategizing for finding Bane and Dawn. And finally she received a dozen FedEx boxes. Weird.

"What you got there, Buffy?" Vi asked.

"Presents for the Buffster?" Xander asked.

"I guess," she replied. "I just don't know who they're from."

"Well, there's a mailing invoice there," Kennedy pointed out. "Should tell you where it's from. And maybe there's an envelope attached to one of the boxes."

Buffy pulled off the invoice and frowned, her puzzlement going deeper.

"Sudan? Who do I know in Sudan?"

Shaking the question aside, she flipped the invoice over and sure enough, she saw a note. It was just three lines.

_Buffy Summers_

_Slayer_

_Aid is never found lacking for those who persist._

Buffy sat down hard. This was getting surreal. Without looking up, she asked.

"Vi, could you open one of the boxes for me?"

Vi shrugged her shoulders, grabbed a box, and tore the lid off it. She joined Buffy in looking perplexed. She pulled out the contents.

"Books?"

Buffy saw the title on the spine. She shook her head. 'Bizarre' did not even come close to the day she was having. 'Frightening' would be a better word.

"Not just any books," she said.

The title said: _Ancient Magicks_ by Paul Carme.

"Buffy isn't that one of the books we needed when we were researching Bane?" Willow asked.

"Yeah."

"And there's Shina Grece's _Legend_," Vi said as she pulled another book out. "Wasn't Giles just saying the other day how he wanted to get his hands on this book?"

Kennedy grabbed a box and tore it open.

"Here's _Index of Vampire Lore _and _The Black Encyclopedia_."

"What's going on, here?" Willow asked. "These are all books we've been looking for but thought they were lost."

"Someone found them for us," Xander said.

"But who?" Buffy asked. "And why now?"

Dawn woke from her fitful slumber. How she could fall asleep on an uncomfortable cot inside a huge silver cage was beyond her. Still, she had. She sat up and noticed Bane sitting on the cedar chest, with his back to her. She could see wood shavings falling from his hands.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I am whittling a stake." As evidence, he held up his hand. In it there was a wooden stake.

"Why? When you kill a vampire, don't you just suck them dry?"

"Yes. I see you have done research on me."

"What I could, yeah," she admitted. "So why the stake?"

"It is for me not. It is for you."

"Me? Why?"

"If you are to be effective bait, you must be live bait. Thus, you need the means by which to protect yourself."

"But the cage–"

"Keeps me out. Or contains me within," Bane cut in without turning to look at her. "The bars are pure silver and at such a thickness that I cannot bend them. However, vampires can."

"And of course you're not a vampire."

"Of course not. In all of creation I am unique and alone."

"Must suck trying to get a date."

"A date? What does fruit have to do with me?"

Dawn's eyebrows rose in disbelief. She looked around her cage.

"Uh, I need to pee."

"There is a second bucket in the corner."

"Ewww."

"It is either the bucket or soiling yourself," Bane said. "The choice is yours."

"Toilet paper?"

"What is toilet paper?"

"Never mind," Dawn sighed. She looked around. She really had to go. There really was no other choice. She approached the empty bucket. "No peaking."

"What is peaking?" Bane asked. He twisted his back to look over his shoulder at Dawn.

"It means don't look at me while I'm going!"

Bane shrugged his massive shoulders and twisted back around. He resumed whittling. Dawn looked down at the bucket, a look of distaste crossing her features. She sighed heavily.

"This sucks."

Twenty minutes later, Dawn was bored. She considered Bane, who was still whittling, his back to her. Casting around in her mind, she tried to come up with a topic of conversation. Anything to break this boredom.

"So you said something about this cage being for you until the Mistress charged you with duties, whatever that means."

"It means that she assigned me the death privileges of the Slayers in this metropolis."

"Oh," Dawn said. "So she told you to kill Buffy and the others?"

"She did."

"But you haven't."

"No, I have not."

"Why?"

Bane turned so he was looking at Dawn. He regarded her for a few long moments before answering. Dawn stared into those pale blue eyes and a shiver of fear ran through her.

"If I were to kill Buffy Summers and the other Slayers, I could not gain my freedom," he finally said.

"You keep talking about that, what does that mean, your freedom?"

"Since my creation, nigh on five thousand years hence, I have been bound to the will of the vampire Lords. Until they no longer walk the Earth, I am their tool. I have no will, no emotion of my own. When the Mistress is no more, all the Lords shall be gone."

"And you'll be free."

"Exactly."

"And Buffy can help you with that somehow?"

"By the Mistress' preoccupation with destroying your sister, her fear of the Slayer, I am given the opportunity I have waited so long for."

"I don't understand."

"Most would not," Bane said. "To understand fully, you must be a vampire Lord and the Bane of Slayers they created."

Dawn raised her eyebrows. She decided a change in topic was needed.

"So this cage… You were in it until you were given 'death privileges' and now?"

"Now, for the Mistress to order me to reside within its confines would negate her other order." Bane stood and approached the cage. "Do not fret over such things, they are of no consequence to you."

"But I like to know these kinds of things. Got this big old thirst for knowledge going on."

"An admirable trait, no doubt."

He reached inside the cage, holding the stake for Dawn to take. She got up off the cot and approached him slowly.

"I can't believe you made this for me," she said, never taking her eyes off his face.

"My first present to you, Dawn."

"First? Does that mean I'll get more?"

"Perhaps."

Seeing nothing in his expression change, Dawn grabbed the stake and withdrew to the cot. She sat down. That was when something occurred to her.

"Hey! You said my name!"

"Is that not how people relate to one another, via their names?"

"It's how we tell who's being addressed. But since there's just the two of us, you don't have to."

"Then I shall not address you by your name."

"It's okay if you do," she said quickly. She blushed, but continued, "I mean, I like the way you say my name."

"I was unaware that I said it in a way that could be considered special."

"But you do. Almost as if it comes out of your mouth differently. Like it's special and reserved only for me." She blushed again, hearing her own words.

"I do like the way your name forms within my mouth," Bane admitted. "Dawn. I find pleasure in the feeling of your name."

Dawn smiled. "Thank you, I think."

Bane returned her smile. It was warm and genuine, and only marred slightly by the fact it was on such a hideous face.

"Since we're being so polite, now, what's your name?" Dawn asked. "Your real name?"

"I have no name."

"Doesn't that bother you?"

"No. There is quite an advantage to be had by being known only by your title."

"Sure, it adds mystery to your persona," Dawn said. "Makes you an enigma."

"While that is true, I was thinking more along the lines of the power a name has."

"Power? Really?"

"Certainly. Every time someone speaks your name, they exercise power over you. Even if it is a small amount. That is why the Mistress chooses to be known by her title and no one living knows her true name."

"Not even you?"

"I am not truly living, am I?" Bane answered with another genuine smile.

"No, I guess you're not."

There was silence in the room again as Dawn considered his words. Then an idea struck her.

"Since you don't have a name, can I give you one?"

Bane stared at her, unblinking. Dawn shifted where she sat, avoided meeting his cold, pale blue eyes, and felt a blush creeping up her neck to encompass her face.

"I figure that you've gone long enough without one," she explained. "I want to give you a name."

"What could be the harm of letting you have this power over me?" he asked.

"You aren't afraid I'll misuse it? Cause you harm and all that?"

Again Bane stared at her for a long stretched out moment. This time Dawn did meet his gaze. The shiver she felt earlier returned. It climbed up her spine until her entire body shook. Suddenly the shaking stopped and warmth spread throughout every fiber of her being. She relaxed and felt almost euphoric.

"I trust you," he said at last.

"Cool." Dawn bounced on the cot, pulling her legs up underneath herself. "Can you let me see your human face?"

"Pardon?"

"Your human face, can I see it?"

"I do not have a human face. I have not a whit of humanity within me. Remember, I am not a true vampire."

"Right. So you're big-ugly-ridgey-on-the-face-guy all the time?"

Bane took a few seconds to decipher what she said. He nodded. "Correct. Though I have never heard it expressed that way before."

"I know! Charles."

"Charles?"

"Yeah, Charles. It's a good name. Elegant, sophisticated, and uptight. Very square. Just like you. From now on, you are Charles."

"After five thousand years, Charles seems a bit anti-climactic."

"But good, right?" Dawn asked.

"But good." Bane affirmed.

Egyptian Desert: 5000 Years Ago

All those within the encampment were prepared to leave. Goods were stored on animals, tents were packed, and even the human 'livestock' were trussed and ready for travel. All that remained was payment arraignments.

The payment was to Lilith for creating their Champion, the Bane of Slayers. Tonight, right after sunset, the Lords gathered in the meeting tent to pay her for her service.

Lilith stood on the stage, her child, Adrius, just behind her. Adrius held an earthen bowl. When all the Lords were accounted for, Lilith addressed them.

"Who is the youngest among us?"

A Lord stood. Lilith motioned for him to join her on stage.

"Cius, come here and stand in front of me." When he began to make his way to her, she explained, "As the newest Lord to be elevated, you will be my siphon."

Cius was taken aback by the announcement, but climbed onto the stage nonetheless. He cautiously approached Lilith.

"Oh, do not worry," she said. "I need a siphon because the ritual that brought forth Bane burned the ability for magic out of me. I would not need you to do this for me, otherwise."

"You have no more magic?" Metujael asked from the crowd.

"No. I told you the price would be dear," Lilith replied. "I, for my part, can no longer be a sorceress. Now it is your turn to pay. It is only just."

"We're demons. It is not in our nature to be just," Metujael said.

"True. But the magic demands it," Lilith stated. She turned to Cius, "Drink from the jar Adrius carries."

Cius did as instructed. When he was done, Lilith told Adrius to take the jar to all the other Lords and have them drink from it. When that was done, Lilith sprinkled some powder on Cius that was carried in a pouch on her belt. When the powder landed on Cius, he stiffened and stood rigidly.

Lilith put her hands on either shoulder of Cius and looked him in the eyes. Without moving she called out, "Adrius!"

The young Master vampire nodded and began chanting. When she was done, bolts of red energy shot out from each Lord and into Cius. From Cius, the energy flowed to Lilith. Cius convulsed with the energy coursing through him, Lilith drew it in greedily, accepting the rush of power given to her.

In moments, it was over. The bolts of red ceased and all the Lords, except Lilith, fell to the ground, exhausted. She let go of Cius and he crumbled into ash as he fell, the ritual having drained him of all his energy.

Lilith looked exuberant and youthful, full of life. In the seconds it took for the ritual, she gained centuries worth of power. Each Lord that contributed only lost a few decades, but with so many Lords it added to many years. With the concentrated effect of so much energy transferred, the power was compounded and multiplied. All together, it was a good arraignment for Lilith.

"Now I am paid in full," she announced.

"What just happened?" Metujael asked as he stood.

"My payment was rendered. As agreed, I took a little bit of power from each of you."

"And now you are stronger?"

"Extremely so. Why do you think I waited until after I brought forth the Champion for my payment?"

"Honestly, I hoped you would die during it and we would be rid of you," Metujael said.

"Thereby freeing you from payment," Lilith stated.

"Right."

"Your payment has made me the most powerful vampire on Earth. I have leapt centuries ahead of even the most powerful of you, here. Perhaps in time it will be a fair trade for not having my magic powers anymore."

"So you did not foresee that, then?" Imophen asked.

"No, I did not. But this may compensate for that loss. And now I bid you all farewell forever. For I never want to look upon any of you fools again."

"Fools?" Metujael asked with indignation. "Why do you call us fools?"

"First, for wanting a Champion created. And second, for actually liking the creature. He is dangerous and I shall have nothing to do with either him or those who implement him."

"If you were so opposed to him, why did you create him for us?" Enich asked.

"Because it was going to be done, whether I agreed or not, whether I performed the ritual or not. And I wanted to be sure it was done right."

"And there was the payment in power," Metujael said.

"Well, of course."

Lilith turned and walked to the exit. Adrius joined her.

"Does this mean our little death and destruction festival in the mountains is off, Lilith?" Imophen asked.

A wave of dizziness swept over the departing Lord. She stumbled and only the quick reflexes of Adrius saved her from falling. After a few moments, her strength returned and Lilith stood on shaky legs. She looked back at the other Lords with horror.

"What just happened?" she asked.

"You tell us," Enich replied. "After all, we are just a group of fools."

Lilith scanned the faces of those present. Finding nothing, she turned and left the tent. When the flap fell Metujael began to move toward it.

"It would have better for all if you would have died," he said.

Bane finished the note he was writing and stuck it in an envelope. He sealed it, addressed it and looked it over. Nodding with satisfaction, he strode over to the second cedar chest. Opening it, he pulled out a young man by the scruff of his neck. Dawn gasped with surprise.

Shaking the man Bane said, "Wake up."

The boy's eyes flew open he let out a strangled yelp of surprise. He was quieted by Bane's hand tightening on his neck. The boy winced in pain.

"Do you have a name, boy?"

"Avery," he responded with fear. "Avery Callison."

"Do you know this girl, Avery Callison?" Bane asked, swinging Avery so he could see Dawn.

"Yes. It's Dawn, I go to school with her." His voice showed his surprise at seeing her.

"Do you know her sister?"

"Buffy? Yeah."

"Do you know where they live?"

"Sure."

"Excellent." Bane swung the boy back so they were facing one another.

"Hey, man what's wrong with your face?"

Bane ignored him. "Listen very carefully, boy. Follow my instructions exactly. You are to take this letter to Buffy's house." He indicated the envelope in his other hand.

"What–"

"Listen! You will take this to Buffy. You will go to her house. You will hand-deliver it, making sure she receives it. If she is absent, you shall wait for her. You will not leave without giving it to her. You will not lose this package. You will not fail me. If, for any reason, you do not accomplish all that I require I shall find you before sunrise and I shall kill you. Do you understand?"

Looking in those pale blue eyes, flat and emotionless, Avery knew this guy was serious.

"Yes. I understand."

"Good. Let us be on our way, Avery Callison."

Bane strode out of the room, carrying a shell-shocked and fear-filled Avery in one hand. Dawn wondered what was in that letter, and why it was so important. And why it was going to Buffy, of all people.

She sat pondering this for several minutes. Then it came to her. Of course, Bane said she was bait, so that had to be the note telling Buffy where she was. It made perfect sense. Dawn smiled with satisfaction.

"Hello, little girl."

Dawn's smile faded when she saw the female vampire enter the room.

"Why does everyone call me that?"

"Because to us that is what you are."

"Well, I'm not."

"Of course not."

"I'm not!" Dawn said forcefully.

"It doesn't matter, anyway."

"Why not?"

"You're being fed to the Mistress. After all, you're just young enough to be a meal for her."

"She like young girls?"

"She likes to feed on children. She never eats humans seventeen or older."

"Damn! Just young enough by a few months."

"Very considerate of Bane to put you in here. No doubt you're a part of his scheme to kill the Slayer. Her sister perhaps?"

"Wh…How…I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course." She shrugged, "Now you're today's meal for the Mistress. Dead bait works just as well as live bait."

The vampire reached the door to the cage by this time. She examined it and decided to just force it open. She grabbed the door and began to rattle it.

Dawn sprang forward and thrust her stake through the bars. Her aim was true and her arm easily slid between the bars. She had the vampire!

Just before the stake hit home, Dawn's wrist was caught in a crushing grip, causing the young woman to cry out in pain. The vampire smiled with glee and yanked hard on Dawn's arm, forcing Dawn to careen into the bars of the cage. Dawn bounced off the bars and fell to the floor, stunned. Satisfied, the vampire began working the door once again.

Suddenly a huge hand grabbed her neck and tossed her to one side. Standing, the vampire snarled.

"What are you playing at, Bane?"

"No one shall hurt this woman, Isabel."

"Like hell, they won't! She's being fed to the Mistress!"

"No, she is not."

Isabel ran for the door. Bane was faster. He knocked her down. She tried to get up; he knocked her down again. She lashed out and he simply stood there, absorbing the blow. He stooped down and lifted her up with one hand.

"Time to add to my strength," he said.

Isabel tried to protest, but before she could utter a sound, Bane fed off her. Dawn stirred and looked up to the sight of a vampire crumbling to ash in Bane's hands. She swallowed hard.

When Bane was finished, he strode over to the cage, picking up Dawn's fallen stake as he did so. Without a word, he passed the wooden instrument back to her. She nodded acceptance and retreated to the cot. There she threw herself onto the mattress and fell asleep, exhausted from the fear that held her only moments ago.

Xander and Willow sat alone in Buffy's living room. After the arrival of the near four hundred books by FedEx, Buffy had enough. The events of the past twenty-four hours were too strange for her to just sit back and do nothing about them. She and the other three Slayers picked up the map on the living room floor and headed out to see if they could find any information.

This left Willow and Xander researching. They scanned the book titles, skimmed the tables of contents, and searched for references to either Bane or the Mistress. While their efforts were hindered, they were more fruitful than all other attempts to this point.

"Here's another reference to Bane," Willow said. "Eww. I never want to get on that guy's bad side."

"And I've got another about the Mistress," Xander said. "Listen to this: 'Of all vampires, none is more cunning, more swift, nay more powerful than this most hideous creature. Her countenance is enough to freeze the blood, her mannerisms enough to chill the soul. She truly does live up to the legend of the desert demon.' What legend?"

"Desert demon? That reminds me of something. But what?"

Willow sat back and thought. Something from her upbringing, from many years ago, was trying to surface in her mind. It was important. It was vital. It was simple. And it was not coming to light.

"You okay, Will," Xander asked.

She held up a hand for him to be quiet without looking at him. Why was that so familiar? And the line 'Is. thirty-four fourteen'? She stood and began pacing back and forth.

"Thirty-four fourteen. The desert demon. Is thirty-four fourteen. Legend of the desert demon." She twirled to face Xander, "Is there anything else after that in that book?"

Xander looked down, "'She truly does live up to the legend of the desert demon. The devourer of children.'" He looked up, "That's all."

"Devourer of children?" She sat down as this piece of the puzzle began to whirl around in her head. Suddenly she bolted up out of her seat. Everything clicked into place. Looking around, she did not see what she needed. She had to be sure.

"Xander, try and find the desert demon's name," she called out as she ran for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To see if I'm right!"

Dawn woke up from her fear-relief-induced nap to a very unpleasant smell. She sat up and noticed Bane covering the bars of her cage with a clear substance using a paintbrush. In his other hand, he held a large bucket.

"What's that smell?" Dawn asked.

"Garlic," Bane replied. "I am covering the bars of your confinement with a mixture of holy water and garlic. If I am gone and one of the Mistress' children decide to make you into a meal, they will have a hard time doing so."

"Thank you."

"You are welcome."

"Hey, you said 'you're welcome!'"

"Why would I not?"

"Well, you know, old dogs and new tricks."

"I am not a dog," Bane pointed out.

"I wasn't calling you a dog. It's just an expression."

"Ah."

Dawn watched him paint for a few minutes. Even during their previous exchange, he never stopped coating the silver bars. His face remained impassive as he moved from one bar to the next, occasionally dipping into the bucket held at his side. After a pause, Dawn decided to ask the question she had since coming to inside this cage.

"Why do you want me alive?" she asked. "That woman said I'd be just as useful dead as alive. So why not kill me?"

"Would you prefer I kill you?" Bane asked without stopping his work.

"No. I was only wondering."

"It is true that all I need is to inform your sister of your whereabouts. Even with the slightest possibility of your being alive, she will come to rescue you. It matters not if I deceive her, for she can scarce take the chance of not coming. So, no you do not have to be alive when Buffy arrives."

"In other words, you could kill me and not tell Buffy, 'cause she can't afford not to come, just in case."

"Exactly."

"Just so long as she thinks she can rescue me. So why not kill me?"

"Because I do not plan on you being dead when this is over," Bane stated.

"You don't?" Dawn could not hide the surprise in her voice, or the incredulity.

"Of course not. Why else would I go to such great lengths to protect you?" Bane replied. "Only those who plan to kill you no matter the outcome would kill you before your savior arrives. I wish both of you to survive."

"You do?" This time it was not surprise, but shock in her voice.

"Yes."

"But that…that doesn't make any sense."

Bane stopped his work to regard Dawn. His pale blue eyes made her shiver again, this time without fear. This time there was something else causing her reaction. Before she could decipher what it was, he began to explain.

"I did not need to lure your sister here if my goal had been only to kill her. If it had been, I simply would have sought her out and been done with it. I do nothing without a reason."

He resumed his painting.

"And bringing me here, putting me in a cage?" Dawn asked.

"I had to have a way to entice your sister, did I not? Inside these barred walls, you are the safest of your entire life. With the holy water and garlic, no vampire can get to you. Even if so ordered, I could not kill you with you inside."

"Would you?" Dawn asked. "Kill me if ordered?"

"The hold the Mistress has on me wavers. I perform that which she orders so that she presumes she is in control."

"Is that a no?"

"Know this: My entire existence I have never made a vow to anyone but a vampire Lord. And I have only done so twice. Now I vow to you that I shall never hurt you. Nor will I place you in danger. Ever."

"So…that's a no to killing me?"

"Yes, it is a 'no' to killing you."

Dawn beamed with satisfaction. Bane either did not see or ignored her reaction as he painted the bars with the garlic and holy water mix.

Willow looked around the bookstore. The book she was looking for had to be here, it was the best selling title of all time. Finding the proper section, she headed over.

There were more than twenty different versions on the shelves. Willow was undaunted; after all, they all had the same message. She grabbed the nearest book and pulled it out. She flipped to the table of contents and looked it over.

Finding what she was looking for, Willow opened the Bible to the right book and using the simple chapter/verse search, she soon found the passage she needed. Reading it over, she was disappointed. She was so sure this was the answer. Then a thought occurred to her. Maybe a different version would have what she was looking for, a version that was closer to the original translation.

Greece: 1908

"What can I do for you?"

"You are the Oracle. Perhaps you could tell me."

"Would you know all that I know, or would you know that which is important to you in particular."

"I want to know if I can be killed."

"Life is but a passage. And all passages must come to an end."

"But we are Immortal. We do not need to taste the bitterness of death."

"You all ready have. You are the undead."

"Final death."

"Ah. There is but one threat to you. A hellmouth with a Slayer. A Slayer of all seasons yet named summer. Twice courted by death and thrice rejected by love. Your doom awaits you on a hellmouth with such a Slayer. When the line is broken and there are more than two Slayers upon the Earth, you shall either kill her or you shall die."

"Is that all you have for me?"

"Do not raise your voice to me, vampire. You asked to see what you cannot, to hear what you should not."

"I am the Mistress! I do not cower from some slip of a girl!"

"Be that as it may, this is your future. What you do with the choice given you is up to you."

"I will not die!"

"Then make sure you kill the summer Slayer."

The Mistress left the Oracle's home in a foul mood. With the speed of a viper, she slithered along the dirt road. By the time she reached her lair, she was in an even worse mood. Luckily for the rest of her family, the first person she met was Cedric.

"Mistress, are you all right?"

She growled and lifted him off the ground. She extended her tail, raising herself up as well. Soon their heads were more than eight feet off the ground.

"I just learned of my death!" she ground out between clenched jaws. "I know who is going to be my ruin and I know the signs of its approach!"

"Then we can plan against it and fight it, Mistress."

Something in the way he said it cut through the anger and depression she felt. The Mistress put Cedric down and coiled her tail so she was able to look him straight in the eye.

"What did you say?"

"I said we can fight it, Mistress."

"You're such a good boy, you know that Cedric?"

"I try."

From that night forward, the Mistress became consumed. She built her family. She trained them. She taught them. Her clan became the most close-knit and dangerous vampire community in the world.

She planned. She devised strategies and counter-strategies. She created scenarios in her head, each worse than the last, and figured out how to best combat them. In thirty years, she felt confident that she could outlast any Slayer, no matter what the circumstances.

When more than two Slayers walked the Earth, she would be ready. And the world would bleed for her.

It took Willow another hour to find the right version. Instead of going to the chapter and verse of the specific book, she looked at the publisher's preface to see what they said about the translation. When she found the Bible that fit her criteria, having been translated by Jewish, Catholic and Protestant scholars from the original sources, she was satisfied that this one would have what she needed to know. Whether it confirmed or denied her intuition was another matter.

She flipped through the Bible until she came to the right passage. She read it quickly and smiled. Jumping up, she ran to the checkout to purchase it.

Earlier today, when Xander read about the desert demon, she remembered an old Jewish legend. It was about a demon that roamed the desert and ate children. She remembered it because her father received a lot of grief from her mother when she found out he told Willow about it. Now she was extremely grateful Ira Rosenberg slept on the couch for a week after that incident.

Willow knew the Mistress' name.


	14. Part 3 Chapter 5

Chapter V

As the sun set, Willow walked up to Buffy's house. She ran most of the way back here, and even in her excited state, was now tired from the exertion. In one hand she carried her new Bible. With the other she reached out to open the door.

Avery Callison came up behind Willow and tapped her on the shoulder. She screamed in surprise and fright. She whipped around, full arm slapping Avery. He stumbled back and fell on his backside with a thump.

The front door was yanked open, Xander looking around wildly. He saw Willow standing in the doorway and a young man sprawled on the porch, a hand-shaped red mark appearing on his cheek. Xander grabbed Willow and pulled her into the house.

"I have a letter to deliver to Buffy Summers," Avery explained to them. "Is she home?"

"Why don't you just give it to us, and we'll make sure she gets it," Xander said.

"I have to hand deliver it," he responded. "He was kind of persuasive about that point."

"Who was?" Willow asked.

"This big and scary dude."

Xander and Willow looked at each other. Then they turned to Avery.

Bane looked over the room, surveying it. Dawn looked over Bane, considering. She bit her bottom lip, weighing her options. Finally she spoke.

"You called me a woman."

"Pardon?" Bane asked without looking at her.

"Before you killed that vampire woman, Isabel, you said no one was to hurt me. You called me a woman."

"So I did." His attention was still on the surrounding room.

"What about me being a little girl? Change your mind?"

"Not really, no."

"Then what?"

"While I have no emotions and never have for my entire existence, I know how to manipulate them," Bane answered. He stopped his scrutiny of the room and turned his attention to Dawn. "Calling you a child seemed to be a certain way of making you angry. Angry humans are usually not clear thinking."

"So you really don't think I'm a little girl?"

"Of course not. How could I?"

"That's almost a compliment," she said with a smile.

"All the evidence informs me that you are indeed a woman. Even if you are a young one."

"What evidence?"

"The line and curve of your body," Bane replied. Dawn blushed. He continued, "Your facial structure. And your scent pronounces that you bleed. That speaks of your status as a woman."

"Bleed?" Dawn asked rhetorically. She thought about it a moment. Then the answer struck her. She blushed again, "That's so gross."

"That is life," Bane said with a shrug.

Buffy and the other three Slayers arrived home just minutes after Avery startled Willow. Vi, Kennedy, and Faith filed past the young man. Buffy stayed in the doorway when he asked for her. Avery held out his shaking hand, giving her the envelope.

"I was told to give this to you."

"By who?" Buffy asked as she opened the envelope.

"A big guy. I don't know his name. But he was very scary," Avery said. "He stuffed me in a big chest last night. When he let me out, I saw Dawn in a big cage."

Buffy's head snapped up from the letter. Avery took a step back.

"She's alive."

"Thanks, uh…"

"Avery. I go to school with Dawn. I was going to ask her out, but got kidnapped instead."

"Thanks, Avery. You can go home now."

"Dawn's going to be all right, isn't she?"

"She will be now."

Avery nodded and spun on his heel. He jumped off the porch and sprinted as fast as he could down the street. Buffy closed the door and headed for the living room.

"So, what was that all about?" Kennedy asked.

"Bane sent that kid with this letter."

"What's it say?" Faith asked.

Buffy looked down.

_Slayer._

_The Mistress is located within an abandoned hospital building on Belmont Street, as are her minions. This is where Dawn is._

_Come tonight if you want Dawn to live._

_The Mistress shall be on the ground floor in the center of the building._

_Come by yourself or with your friends, it matters not._

_Remember her weakness Is. 3414._

Buffy finished reading it out loud.

"Well that certainly helps us find her, eh?" Xander said.

"Oh!" Willow exclaimed. "I know what Is. thirty-four fourteen means! It's Isaiah 34:14." She pulled out her new Bible and read, "'And there shall the beasts of the desert meet with the jackals, and the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; the Lilith also shall settle there, and find for herself a place of rest."

"Lilith?" Vi asked.

"How do we know that?" Faith asked.

"Because Lilith is the demon of Jewish myth who fed off young children. Originally, anyway. I forgot all about hearing about it until today."

"It makes sense," Kennedy said.

"Or it doesn't," Xander replied. "Especially to us over here in camp skeptical."

"All myth is rooted in some truth," Buffy said. "We've seen that plenty of times."

"Lilith was obviously named after the vampire Lord who was a woman, lived in the desert, and fed on children. See?" Willow explained.

"Okay, so her name's Lilith," Faith said. "Big deal."

"It is a big deal," Vi said. "The first note said that to kill her we had to trap her with her name."

"Trap her how?" Kennedy asked.

"And let's not forget that this letter came from Bane, the guy who was created to kill all you," Xander said.

"And it looks like the other letter was from him, too," Faith said.

"And that note with all these boxes," Vi added.

Buffy reached out and grabbed the other two letters that were on the coffee table. She examined all three. She handed them to Willow.

"These look like the same handwriting," Buffy said.

"Yeah, they do," Willow agreed.

"So, is this a good thing or a bad thing?" Vi asked. "I mean, he is trying to kill us."

"I don't think so," Faith said. "If he was trying to kill us, we'd be dead by now."

"But why give us all these books?" Vi asked.

"For more information to use against the Mistress," Buffy answered. "But why?"

"So we could get her name," Willow said.

"But what then?" Kennedy asked.

"He wants us to kill her," Xander said suddenly.

"What?" Buffy asked. Everyone turned to look at Xander.

"The Mistress, he wants us to kill her for him," Xander explained. "The clues about her name, kidnapping Dawn, telling us where to find them both. He wants us to kill her."

"But why?" Kennedy asked.

"Because he can't." Buffy said with a flash of clarity. "Willow, in those books we got today, did any of what you find tell you who created Bane?"

"Yeah, it was…" she trailed off. Then in a small voice she said, "Lilith."

"So he can't kill his creator," Kennedy said.

"But we can," Vi said. "Then we can kill him."

"Unless it's just an elaborate trap," Faith said.

"But why would he lure you there when he can obviously just knock you out and bring you where he wants you?" Willow asked.

"So what's the plan, then?" Xander asked.

Buffy looked around the room, weighing her options. She turned back to her friends.

"Trap or no trap, we need to get Dawn. And if that means killing this Lilith to do it, I'm all for it," she said. "So here's what we're going to do."

With the last of the holy water and garlic mix Bane was painting the doorjamb to the room Dawn's cage was in. She watched as he finished up.

He came into the room and handed her the bucket. She took the pail, her hand brushing his as she did. They each felt a matching surge of energy crackle between them at the touch.

Bane let go of the bucket's handle and stepped back, shock plain on his features. Dawn wore a matching expression. After a few moments, Bane schooled his features.

"I have blocked the entrance, but this is for any contigency that may occur," he told her.

She looked down and saw that there was almost an entire gallon left. The smell this close to her face, now that those haunting blue eyes no longer distracted her was over-powering. She grimaced with disgust and put the bucket in a corner.

She turned and saw Bane standing halfway to the exit. She sighed in frustration. Then she sighed in confusion at the frustration. None of what just happened made any sense. She decided to break the silence and get some answers.

"If you don't have any emotions, why did you vow to keep me from harm?"

"I wished to let you know I am serious. Giving a solemn vow is the only way I know how to accomplish such a feat."

"I get that," she replied. "But a vow is usually only good if it means something deep and emotional to the person giving it. It's the only way vows are any good."

"True."

"Then why'd you give me a vow?" Dawn asked. She stepped closer to the bars of her cage, "Do you feel emotions, now?"

"I have never felt emotions in five thousand years."

"But do you now?"

Bane closed the gap between them in a flash. The only things separating them were the silver cylinders. Dawn craned her neck to look him in the eye. She really wished he had a human face right at that moment, it would make looking at him a little easier. So she stared into his eyes.

"I know not what is happening to me," he whispered. "I have read works on the human psyche and on human emotion. I can see the signs within myself."

"Is it scary?" Dawn asked in a whisper.

"Frightening." He smiled. "And whatever is happening to me will not allow me to harm you in any way. And grief over your sister's death would be harmful to you. That is why I did not kill her when I had the chance the other night, and why I am doing all this."

"All this?" Dawn asked. She was losing herself in those eyes. No one should have eyes like that. The shuddering sensation began again in the base of her spine and began to climb. She enjoyed every moment of it.

"My original plan was to kill Buffy Summers, then while the Mistress rejoiced, kill the Mistress. But upon seeing you, I re-evaluated my plan. Something about you prohibited me from killing the Slayer."

Dawn dropped her eyes from Bane's. Something about her, something freakish, probably. Whatever her jumbled up feelings were, he obviously was not reacting to her for the same reasons she was to him.

"I know what it is," she whispered hoarsely.

"You do? What is it?" he asked.

"It's 'cause I'm the Key, right?"

"The what?"

"The mystical Key? You know the ball of energy that unlocks dimensional portals? I'm it, made flesh. Me."

"I have not the first idea what a mystical key is. It is you, Dawn Summers, that made me stop and change my tactics."

"So it was just me? Not that other thing?" Dawn looked up at him hopefully.

"Just you."

"Thanks. That's the sweetest thing I've ever been told."

"You are most assuredly welcome, Dawn."

"Better watch it, Charles," she said with a smile. "Before long you'll be polite _and_ have too much power over me."

"Then we shall have power over each other, shall we not?"

"I guess so."

Silence descended as they stared into each other's eyes. The shivers began again for Dawn, this time growing with such intensity that she grabbed hold of the cage to steady herself. Her knees grew weak and she leaned all her weight on the bars of the cage. It was not fear she felt, but she could not quite place the sensation, either. Whatever it was, she liked it.

Suddenly, Bane broke eye contact. He looked around as though searching for a sound. He looked down at Dawn.

"You sister and the other Slayers approach. When they arrive to rescue you, give them the key underneath your cot. You cannot reach the lock from within, but they can from without."

Dawn turned and walked to the cot. She pulled the mattress up and sure enough, taped to the underside, was a key. She looked up, a triumphant look upon her face. When she turned, it melted.

Bane was gone.

Dawn sat on the cot, thinking. Whatever just happened between them was weird. But she liked it. Maybe she liked Bane, which was ridiculous. Whatever it was, it would probably never happen again after tonight. After tonight, things would be different.

Outside the Marcincko Mental Hospital stood Buffy, Faith, Kennedy, Vi, Xander, Willow, and Fr. McMillan. All but the priest looked more than a little apprehensive. He stood with a smile splitting his features.

"What are you so happy about, Father?" Faith asked.

"I always smile before going into battle," he replied. "The next step I take, I'll let out a little giggle."

"Giggle?" Kennedy asked.

"Then I'll get to business," McMillan continued. "You'll wonder what happened to me. It's always the same."

"Well, get ready to go through your mood swings," Buffy said. "'Cause we're going in. Everyone ready?"

Buffy hefted the Slayer's Scythe. She was nominated to have it, since it was Dawn they were coming for. Xander had his broadsword, Willow her short sword. Vi and Kennedy each had a battle-ax. Faith was using her twin long-bladed daggers tonight. Each Slayer also had a few stakes in her waistband. Fr. McMillan had a five-gallon sprayer. It was the kind exterminators used to spray houses. It was full of holy water.

"Let's go," Buffy said.

They entered the hospital. Fr. McMillan giggled once before his face became a stoney mask of determination.

Just inside the doorway, they stopped. On the floor was a plain white envelope with Buffy's name on it. The handwriting matched the lettering from the earlier notes. Buffy scooped it up, tore it open, and read.

_Slayer._

_Dawn is in the rear of the basement. The stairs are to the left._

_The hall that leads to the Mistress is straight ahead. Kill her first or all will be for naught._

"What's the play, now, B?" Faith asked.

"Willow, Xander, Father, go get Dawn," Buffy said. "We'll take care of the Mistress."

Everyone nodded. Xander gave Faith a peck on the cheek. She grabbed his face with both hands and gave him a passionate kiss. He pulled back and grinned at her.

"See you in a bit," he said.

Kennedy and Willow hugged. Then the redhead turned and she joined the two men. They began descending the stairs.

The four Slayers looked at each other. Then they looked down the hall that ran straight. Without a word, the four female warriors hefted their weapons and strode down the hallway.

The walk to the rear-most room in the basement was uneventful. Xander and Willow entered, while McMillan covered the entrance. They saw Dawn sitting on the cot, a look of deep concentration on her features. They sprang forward.

"Dawnie!" Willow exclaimed.

Dawn looked up. She smiled and rushed to the bars, "Willow! Xander!"

"Let's get you out of here," Xander said. "Just need some keys."

"Here it is," Dawn said. She held out the key so it was upright in her grasp. "Bane left it taped to the mattress so you could get me out."

"He did?" Willow asked. "Why?"

"Don't ask. It's a long story."

Xander shrugged as he grabbed the key and stuck it in the lock.

The four Slayers entered the Mistress' throne room. As soon as their eyes became accustomed to the darkness, they knew they were in trouble. In the center of the room was a dais with a large ornate throne. On this throne sat the ugliest vampire any of them ever laid eyes upon.

Her entire body was deathly pale, almost translucent. Her hands were claws with rough scales and tipped with hooked talons. From her waist down was a tail. The ridges just above her eyes veered up to points, like horns and were situated just above her eye sockets. She smiled and they saw her canines were three inches long and her other teeth almost non-existent.

She was not why they were in trouble.

Between them and the hideous creature were twenty vampires. To the four young women, who spent the past few weeks fighting incredibly powerful vampires, their Slayer's sense told them this group was comprised of all Master vampires.

Just to cap things off, Bane stood on the dais by the throne. This far away, they were immune from his fearful affects. But if he got involved, things would go from messy to lethal quickly.

"Shit," Faith said.

"Indeed," the monstrosity on the throne agreed. "I don't know how you found me, but it doesn't matter. All of you may be brave and extremely foolish, but I only want one of you dead, tonight. Which one of you is Buffy Summers?"

Buffy stepped forward, "You know, I've seen some ugly in my time, but you get the award. Hands down. I mean, the whole horned ridges and super long teeth, not to mention the tail instead of legs. You're Janet Reno to the ninety millionth power."

"Ah, mocking me. I'd forgotten how pathetic humans trying to look brave can be."

The Mistress closed her eyes and concentrated. Her features became human. She opened her eyes and looked at the shocked Slayers.

"Better?"

"Not really," Kennedy said. "You're still evil. But it is easier on the eyes."

"I don't see why you don't do that more often, blend in with the people," Vi said. "Oh wait, the tail."

"I'm tired of this useless banter," the Mistress stated. "Kill them."

The Master vampires surged at the humans. The Slayers leapt forward, breaking the wave of death from washing over them.

Faith kicked out, sending one flying. With her left hand, she stabbed an opponent through the arm. When they were screaming in pain, she lopped off their head. They exploded into dust. Then three vampires rushed her, tackling her to the ground.

Vi swung her ax, taking a head. As the dust exploded, she twirled around, trying to see every threat. She was grabbed from behind and lifted off the ground. She shifted her grip on her ax handle and brought the end into the vampire holding her. He grunted in pain but did not let up. Instead, her captor began squeezing. Her vision began to blur. Soon Vi felt herself losing consciousness.

Kennedy was doing better than the other two. She dusted three vampires and turned to face her fourth. A small smile played at the corners of her mouth. This is what being a Slayer was all about! She was going to kick some serious undead butt here tonight! She gripped the ax and stepped forward to meet her enemy.

Just as she was tensing to swing her ax, her right hand went numb. Her forearm and hand spasmed. Her fingers released the ax, and it fell to the floor. She lost all feeling from her elbow down to the tips of her fingers. Her entire arm was a useless dead weight.

Her opponent seized the opportunity and lunged forward. He grabbed her around the throat and threw her into a wall. She bounced off and came back with a front kick. He blocked and threw a punch. Kennedy blocked with her left hand. The vampire spun on his heel and drove his elbow into the side of her head. She stumbled and fell to her knees from the blow.

The vampire stepped forward and began pummeling Kennedy. For every two punches she was able to block with her left hand, one slipped through. Before long she was a bleeding and bruised mess.

Buffy had the largest crowd around her. Sensing the power of the weapon she held, more vampires congregated around her. More might die, but she was the greatest threat to them. As such, Buffy was surrounded by ten vampires.

One jumped close to her. She moved to engage. The vampire attacked and parried, another attacked her blind side. She spun, trying to get the dirty player, only to have him dodge away and the original vampire got in a blow.

Buffy was staggered by the impact. She recovered as fast as she could, but not fast enough. A female vampire dove for her legs as a male grabbed her wrists. Buffy vied for control of her weapon until she was knocked off her feet. She landed on her back with a bone-jarring thud. Ten demonic faces leered down at her.

This might be the last chance she had. She did not know what the effect would be, but she needed to try. She took a deep breath.

"Lilith!"

McMillan led the way to the stairs. The nozzle to his sprayer swept back and forth as his eyes scanned ahead. So far, they went unchallenged as they rescued Dawn. That did not mean they would not be, though.

Dawn and Willow came behind him. Acting as rear guard was Xander. They moved as quickly and quietly as they could.

They neared the stairwell when Dawn let out a yelp of pain. She stumbled and collided with Willow. The older woman held her up as the two men closed in on them.

"You okay, Dawn?" Willow asked.

"Yeah. Just a flash of pain. I'm a little dizzy, but otherwise, fine."

"You sure?" Xander asked.

"Yeah. Let's get out of here."

McMillan nodded and turned.

The entire throne room was still. When Buffy said the Mistress' name, it materialized above her head. The letters were physical and solid. They hovered over the blonde Slayer a few moments, then shot straight as an arrow to the Mistress. The word knocked down all in its path.

When it reached the Mistress, it stopped. It quivered for a second then wrapped itself around her. The word spiraled up, binding her like a rope. She tried to move but found herself unable to. She looked in horror at her name trapping her. She looked at Buffy. Then she looked at Bane.

"It was you," she accused, "You gave her my name."

"Yes. You were correct to fear me all these long centuries."

"But the oracle said the Slayer on the hellmouth with the name of the season would be my undoing."

Buffy beheaded the nearest vampire. And just as suddenly as the room stopped, it started up again. This time, however, the Slayers had the psychological advantage. Soon, they were standing close to the throne, back-to-back-to-back in a box formation, fighting off the Mistress' children and dusting vampires more often than not.

"She was your undoing," Bane said. "If you had not been so driven to destroy her, I would not have had the freedom to advance this far. Now she has spoken your name and made you defenseless." He pulled out a stake tipped with silver, "One of my weaknesses is silver. I use it now to purge the world of you."

"I can't order you to not kill me, can I?"

"Not anymore. Your grip on me is gone. I am free."

Bane looked over and saw the Slayers were now standing in a line before the throne, facing the remaining dozen or so vampires. With a quick movement, he stepped forward, grabbed Faith, disarmed her, slapped his own stake into her hand, and drew her back with him to the Mistress' throne.

"I need your strength to do this," he explained to Faith.

"You kill me and a part of you dies, too," the Mistress told him.

"I know, Lilith."

The Mistress became rigid as the power of her name spoken by her creation hit her. Bane grabbed Faith's wrist and forced her to plunge the stake into the Mistress' heart.

The Mistress let out a blood-curdling scream.

Halfway up the stairs, Dawn slumped against the wall, eyes closed. At her feet, the stairs began to glow white. Energy crackled around her body. She was lifted off her feet. With a sudden jerk, her eyes snapped open, her head flew back, and blue energy shot out of her mouth.

The blue bar of energy evaporated everything between it and the Mistress. Luckily for everyone involved, that was only the floor and walls between the basement and the throne room.

The Mistress absorbed the energy. With another earsplitting scream, she convulsed. Soon, green energy began to spread out from her in a sphere. It enveloped Bane and, because she was still clasped by the behemoth, Faith. The bubble of green energy rippled, then punched with violence through the ceiling, all the way to the roof, destroying all in it's path.

When the green energy was gone, the Mistress crumbled to dust. Bane let go of Faith. She stumbled away and would have fallen if Vi had not caught her and held her up.

The remaining children of the Mistress were in pain. They felt something tear, something vital to them, from inside. With violent shaking, they crumbled to ash, their connection to the Mistress too strong for them to resist. All of them were piles of dust but Cedric. He fled.

The floor below the dais began to shake. Bane looked up and saw the Slayers leaving the room. He took a step to follow.

The dais fell through the floor. Bane fell with it, a look of surprise on his face. The ceiling crumbled, the green energy having made it unstable. It buried the hole made by the falling dais.

Outside the four bruised and bleeding Slayers met up with their four companions. Willow, Xander, McMillan, and Dawn were unharmed. Dawn, however was still unconscious. Buffy rushed to her side.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"I don't know," Willow said. "We were coming up the stairs when this energy shot out of her. She passed out after that."

"It was weird," Xander said.

"She's out but alive," McMillan said. "She'll be all right."

"Thank God," Buffy breathed.

There was a thunderous crash behind them as more of the hospital above the throne room collapsed. Xander stood and moved to his girlfriend.

"You okay?"

"Five by five."

Xander turned a level stare on her. She shrugged.

"I got caught in that energy wave coming off the Mistress."

"That green light that shot into the sky?" he asked.

"Yeah. But I feel fine. A little tired, but fine."

"Okay," he said. Raising his voice he motioned toward the building, "You four sure did a hell of a lot of damage. I hope it was worth it."

"Yeah, what did you guys do?" Willow asked. She was helping Kennedy clean herself up.

"We didn't do anything except stay alive," Vi said. "Buffy did it."

"I didn't do anything. All I did was say her name."

"That's it?" Willow asked.

"Yeah. Bane killed her," Buffy stated.

"Well, Bane, using my hand," Faith corrected.

"How?" Dawn asked. She was awake and her voice was a croak.

"You know what? Let's talk about it after we get home, I'm too tired to stand here and narrate," Faith said.

"Good idea."

Xander and Fr. McMillan gathered Dawn between them and they headed for Buffy's house.

The next morning saw everyone but Fr. McMillan in Buffy's living room. By some stroke of fortune, or misfortune depending on who's opinion was given, Giles arrived just they took off to go retrieve Dawn last night. He was filled in on the details of the past few days and was astounded by the sheer volume of books delivered to Buffy. When Willow told him about the Mistress' name, he berated himself for a fool.

"Of course! Ancient vampire names often end up in legends. I should have realized it!"

"Don't worry, Giles," Faith said. "We got the info in time. Nothing knowing it sooner could have done, anyway."

"Quite right," he said. "Now, just what exactly happened with all this energy?"

"It killed the Mistress." Vi said.

"And Bane too." Buffy said.

"Hm," Giles said. "I wonder what it could have been." He reached for one of the books stacked in the living room.

Everyone groaned. There was no way they were doing this so soon after beating the Mistress. Giles would want to research every possible explanation until he knew exactly why it had gone down the way it did. Some things never changed.

"Giles, can we wait until tomorrow?" Willow asked. "We're all tired."

"Especially those of us who are Slayers," Kennedy added. "We had a rough night last night." Her bruising was down, but still bad.

"I suppose ridding the world of the oldest and most powerful vampire in existence merits a day off," he said with a smile.

"Great!" Buffy exclaimed. "Who's for some malling?"

Now it was Giles turn to groan.

"Dawn, you okay?" Xander asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said.

Dawn turned back to look out the window. She did not know why, but at the thought of Bane's death, she felt hollow. Then she would get a feeling of certainty that he was not dead. She could not explain it. And she did not want to share it. Not yet.

Daylight filtered into the Mistress' throne room. Shining through the hole punched there last night, it illuminated better than the now forgotten lone lamp in the far away corner.

Dust motes fluttered in the air. All was silent and still.

The rubble pile that was once the Mistress' throne began to move. The debris shifted and a ghostly white hand burst through. Soon the rest of the body was free and standing on solid flooring that hopefully would not fall out.

Bane stood panting slightly. He raised his head. Sunlight hit him in the face. A quick burst of green energy surged through him. He let out a scream, then collapsed. After what seemed an eternity, he stood again. That sudden wave of energy changed him.

He was shorter. Still tall, just not towering. And he was still massive, if not a walking mountain. But now his facial ridges were gone.

He rolled his shoulders and winced in pain. He put his left hand on his right shoulder. When he brought his hand back, he saw it was bloody.

"Blood?" he asked. His voice was still coarse and gravelly. "Red blood? My blood?"

He moved his shoulder again. Another wince rewarded his actions.

"Pain. This would be pain."

He looked around and noticed the unusual lighting of the room. He looked up and saw the sun. He cringed and held up his arms to shield himself.

After a minute and nothing happening, he stood straight. Realization kicked in and he smiled. His teeth were straight and white.

"Freedom," he sighed.

16


End file.
